The symptoms of leptospirosis appear suddenly, from 7 to 14 days after contact with the Leptospira bacteria, present in the urine of sewage rats. The first symptoms of leptospirosis are:
- Fever above 38ºC; Headache; Chills; Muscle pain, mainly in the calf, back and abdomen; Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
If the treatment is not carried out, complications such as yellow skin and eyes, renal failure and hemorrhages may appear, with coughing and blood phlegm, which may indicate pulmonary hemorrhage.
The doctor diagnoses leptospirosis based on blood and urine tests that identify the causing bacteria, but he can also order other tests like chest x-rays and tomography to assess whether the organs have been affected and whether there are other complications.
When to go to the doctor
You should go to the doctor whenever symptoms appear, such as a high fever that comes on suddenly and other symptoms at the same time. One should not take any medicine to try to lower the fever because the doctor needs to know the body temperature when the person arrives at the consultation or at the hospital and because certain medications increase the chances of bleeding, such as Aspirin, for example.
What to say to the doctor
You should tell the doctor the symptoms that are present, when they started, and their intensity. In addition, the doctor needs to know what the person works with or studies because there are diseases that are more common in certain professions.
How does one get leptospirosis
Generally, leptospirosis is transmitted through contact with water contaminated with urine from animals capable of transmitting the disease and, therefore, is frequent during floods. But the disease can also occur in people who come in contact with garbage, wasteland, debris and standing water because the bacteria can stay alive for 6 months in damp or wet places.
Thus, the person can become contaminated by stepping in puddles of water in the streets, cleaning empty land, moving in the accumulated garbage, frequenting the city dump, being common in people who work as domestic servants, bricklayers and garbage collectors, although anyone can be contaminated by contact with water or objects contaminated with rain and flood water. Salt water from the sea does not transmit this disease because salt makes the bacteria's life impossible.
How it comes
Treatment for leptospirosis can be indicated by a general practitioner and is usually done at home with antibiotics, such as Amoxacillin or Doxycycline, for at least 7 days. To relieve pain and discomfort, the doctor may also recommend taking Paracetamol, but all medicines that contain acetyl salicylic acid in their composition should not be used because they can cause bleeding, as in dengue. See some examples of these remedies by clicking here.
In addition, it is important to rest and drink plenty of water to recover faster and therefore the ideal is that the person does not work and does not attend school, if possible.
As the disease is not passed from one person to another, it is not necessary to avoid the patient's contact with others, and his urine and feces do not cause contamination.
