Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1959, Síða 31

Nýggir tilburðir við tuberklasjúkum í Eiðis læknadømi 37
but not always, sets in in connection with tuberculosis infection, and
almost simultaneously with the conversion of the organism from anergy to
allergy. It appears from Table 1 that, in all, in that period were known
106 cases of initia) fever: cf 57, 9 49.
When the conversion takes place, it sometimes happens that the
newly infected person does not feel it at all. Such quite nonsfebrile
conditions are not included here. For that purpose a certain tempera*
ture is required — short or long, low or high.
Table 1 includes 47 children and 59 adults. As to the former, the
infection sources are known: 20 were infected in their homes, and
23 in neighbouring houses — most of the latter by people whose tu»
berculosis had not yet been discovered. 4 children were infected while
staying in other villages.
Of the adults, 13 were infected in their homes, and just as many
in the neighbourhood or the circle of friends. In all these cases the
infection sources are known. The others were infected during their
work in other villages or towns, and in fishing vessels. In these cases
the infection sources are not always known.
A man of 21 vvas infected with tuberculosis through a wound in
his left fórefinger. Lymfangitis supervened, abscesses on the inside of
the supper arm and in armpits. A girl of 8 was infected through her
tonsils. The infection was followed by a glandular tumour on the neck.
Many of the newly infected complained of retrosternal pain in
connection with swallowings, to both sides of the sternum, or pain
round one or several of the thoracic vertebrae. Others talked of stitches,
which were localized to different places of the chest.
In some cases the fever lasted for one day only or so, in others for
rather a long time. Thus a 6 years old boy had initial fever for 7
months. Xsray examination at the beginning of the disease and 3 months
later showed an increased shadow in the right hilus, otherwise nothing
abnormal. 1 month after this were found a perihilar infiltration round
the right hilus and a 3 cm broad paratracheal shadow up towards the
clavicula. When further 3 months had passed, the infiltration had des
creased, and only an enlarged right hilus was to be seen. Febrile and
subfebrile all the time. — The duration of the initial fever seems gene«
rally to be 2—6 weeks.
In some cases the thermometer may show a subfebrile condition, in
others a temperature of 40° C, and in one case 41° C as shown in
Fig. 1. Adults and adolescents have a slow pulse during about the
first half of the febrile period, which is also to be seen in Fig. 1.
As will appear from Table 1, 27, or 25 °/o, of the 106 cases with
initial fever had erytema nodosum. Only 4, or 7 °/o, of these were
males, all of them under 15. 23, or 47°/o, were of females.