Diphtheria

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Antibodies

• Sore throat (may range from mild to severe)
• Painful swallowing
• Hoarseness
• Drooling (suggests airway blockage is about to occur)
• Fever
• Chills
• Bloody, watery drainage from nose
• Croup-like (barking) cough
• Stridor , difficulty breathing , or rapid breathing
• No breathing
• Bluish coloration of the skin
• Skin lesions (usually seen in tropical areas)

The health care provider will perform a physical exam and look inside your mouth. This may reveal a gray-to-black covering (pseudomembrane) in the throat, enlarged lymph glands, and swelling of the neck or larynx.

Tests used may include:

• Gram stain or throat culture to identify Corynebacterium diphtheriae
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Review Date: 09/25/2006
Reviewed By: Charlotte Grayson, MD, Private Practice specializing in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Smyrna, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.