Symptoms of the disease

Symptoms may appear several weeks after the bacteria arrive in the body. The symptoms of tetanus are:

• Muscle spasms and contractures in the jaw muscles (trismus)
• Muscle spasms and contractures in the muscles of the neck and back (hyper-extension of the back). This muscular hypertonia presents a descending evolution in the body
• Difficulty swallowing, eating
• Contracture of the abdominal muscles
• Muscle spasms and contractures throughout the body
• Excessive perspiration
• Hypertension
• Heart rhythm disturbances
• convulsions
• Spasms in the larynx
• Apneas, breathing difficulties and asphyxia causing the risk of death

For neonatal tetanus, the symptoms are:

• Inability to suck
• Tears
• Generalized spasms
• convulsions

People at risk

The elderly et the women (because they are less well vaccinated) have a higher risk of developing tetanus².

Risk factors

Injuries, dental infections, animal bites, foot infections, which are common in people with diabetes, piercings, tattoos, wounds following surgery … anything that can create a wound increases the risk of developing tetanus since the bacteria can enter it and produce toxins in the body.

In countries where the population is not vaccinated, natural disasters are a time of high risk for tetanus (tsunami for example).