Symptoms of typhoid

Symptoms of typhoid

Typhoid begins slowly and looks deceptively like a routine viral fever in the first few days - which is exactly why so many cases are diagnosed late.

The classic fever pattern: the temperature climbs gradually in a "step-ladder" fashion, rising a little each day over the first week until it settles at a persistent high fever of 103-104°F. Fever is usually higher in the evening, and unlike malaria it does not come with shaking chills and sweating episodes.

Other common symptoms:

• Persistent headache, often the first complaint
• Marked weakness and fatigue, out of proportion to a normal fever
• Loss of appetite and a coated tongue
• Abdominal discomfort and bloating
• Constipation in adults is typical in the first week (diarrhoea is more common in children and may follow later)
• Sometimes a dry cough, sore throat, or nosebleed early on
• In the second week: a temporary rash of small rose-coloured spots on the chest and abdomen (seen in a minority), confusion or delirium in severe cases

In children typhoid is often less typical: diarrhoea, vomiting and irritability may dominate, and the illness can worsen faster - children are hospitalised sooner.

When to test: any fever lasting beyond 3-4 days without a clear cause (cold, urine infection) should trigger a typhoid test. Do not keep treating "viral fever" at home for a week.

Remember: a slowly climbing fever with headache and weakness that refuses to settle by day 3-4 is typhoid until proven otherwise - get a blood test, and see a doctor.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive)

The gradual, continuous, dosha-deepening fever matches descriptions of Santata Jvara. Traditional observation of fever patterns is keen, but diagnosis today needs a blood test - symptoms alone cannot confirm typhoid.