His disease, also known as trench fever or five-day fever, is a bacterial infection transmitted by body lice or ticks. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, rashes, weight loss, and bone and muscle pain. Homeless populations are at higher risk, and alcoholism increases the risk of contracting the disease. Treatment involves eradicating the lice or ticks and administering antibiotics.
His disease, short for Werner-His disease, is a bacterial infection transmitted by lice. It results in a high fever that typically lasts for five days, hence one of the condition’s other names: five-day fever. The disease is also sometimes caused by a slightly different strain of tick-borne bacteria. Individuals with he disease often go through fever cycles, with fever persisting for five days, subsiding for a while, then flaring again. Other symptoms include fatigue, rashes, weight loss, and pain in the muscles and bones. The pain is often reported to be more severe in the bones than the shinbone, hence another name for the condition: shinbone fever. The infection is easily treated with proper diagnosis, although recovery can take up to a couple of months.
The disease is caused by Bartonella quintana, also called Rochalimaea quintana, a bacterium hosted by body lice. The infection is not caused by lice bites directly, but by lice feces, which often makes its way into open lice bite wounds. Ticks can also transmit disease through a slightly different strain of bacteria called Bartonella henselae.
His disease was first noticed during World War I and was also a problem in World War II when body lice spread easily among soldiers in the trenches. Consequently, the disease was originally called trench fever. During those wars, the disease was estimated to afflict more than a million people.
Currently, the homeless population is the hardest hit by the disease. Homeless people often get it by living outdoors in unsanitary conditions and due to poor sanitation. Its disease among homeless populations is commonly referred to as urban trench fever. Studies have shown that alcoholism increases the risk of contracting the disease.
Treatment almost always results in a full recovery, with a few cases leading to long-term disability or death. However, it can take some time for the bacteria to be fully treated. Doctors must first ensure that the body lice carrying the bacteria are completely eradicated. Delousing may not be as simple as checking your hair for lice; lice often hide in clothing and other items worn close to the body.
After detoxification, various antibiotics are commonly given to treat the bacterial infection, such as gentamicin and azithromycin. In patients with HIV and AIDS, the disease can sometimes cause bacillary angiomatosis, a condition characterized by skin lesions. Bacillary angiomatosis is often treated with doxycycline and erythromycin.
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