De-MYSTIFYING TYPHOID The seeming fascination of Nigerians for the bizarre never ceases to amaze me! We just arent satisfied with a simple diagnosis but rather have cultivated a penchant for austere and nebulous diagnosis. This fact has been exploited by many in different circles to achieve their selfish aim. Tell a typical Nigerian patient that he/she has Malaria only and they look down at you in disbelief and then tell you ...but this my fever (or condition generally) is too serious for Malaria only oh! Im sure its Typhoid! The Doctor who proudly announces that the patient has Typhoid is the good one and knows his business! The patient is much more willing to pay large amounts for treatment of this Typhoid than to spend a little on treatment of simple malaria. Its this characteristic that has led to a widespread abuse of the Typhoid tests and diagnosis. Most clinics and laboratories now routinely diagnose Typhoid without strict interpretation of diagnostic criteria. The popular Widals test routinely used as a screening tool for Typhoid is non-specific with many false positive results generated by other incidental co-existing conditions. Also, a single Widals test is not typically enough to make a diagnosis of Typhoid as an ideal diagnosis requires demonstrating a rising titre. But in a bid to cut-corners and make quick cash, many clinics and labs now frequently diagnose Typhoid without meeting proper diagnostic criteria. Real Typhoid cases are few, far-between and rarely encountered in modern clinical practice! Ask most sincere long-standing medical practitioners and theyll tell you theyve only seen very few cases in all their years of practice. Most such cases of fraudulently diagnosed Typhoid are actually just cases of poorly treated malaria! (..this will doubtlessly ruffle some hairs even in medical quarters, but the truth must be spoken and upheld!)
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 08:45:32 +0000
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