Table 3. Clinical characteristics of the patients (n = 61).
| Variable | Total n (%) | Recovered n (%) | Died n (%) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prior history of vaccination against tetanus | ||||
| Present | 4 (6.6) | 3 (7.5) | 1 (4.8) | 0.566 |
| Absent | 19 (31.2) | 14 (35.0) | 5 (23.8) | |
| Don’t know | 38 (62.3) | 23 (57.5) | 15 (71.4) | |
| Postexposure prophylaxis | ||||
| Taken | 15 (24.6) | 10 (25.0) | 5 (23.8) | 0.602 |
| Not taken | 40 (65.6) | 25 (62.5) | 15 (71.4) | |
| Don’t know | 6 (9.8) | 5 (12.5) | 1 (4.8) | |
| Mode of injury | ||||
| Post-traumatic | 58 (95.1) | 37 (92.5) | 21 (100.0) | 0.209 |
| Post-surgery | 3 (4.9) | 3 (7.5) | 0 | |
| Place of wound | ||||
| Extremities | 56 (91.8) | 36 (90.0) | 20 (95.2) | 0.479 |
| Head/face | 5 (8.2) | 4 (10.0) | 1 (4.8) | |
| Tetanus type | ||||
| Generalized | 57 (93.4) | 37 (92.5) | 20 (95.2) | 0.681 |
| Localized | 4 (6.7) | 3 (7.5) | 1 (4.8) | |
| Onset time (days), median (IQR)* | 3 (2–7) | 4 (2–10) | 2.5 (2–4) | 0.076 |
| > 4 days | 20 (36.4) | 16 (45.7) | 4 (20.0) | 0.057 |
| ≤ 4 days | 35 (63.6) | 19 (54.3) | 16 (80.0) | |
| Incubation period (days), median (IQR)* | 14 (8–15) | 15 (10–16) | 12 (7–15) | 0.058 |
| > 12 days | 28 (52.8) | 21 (63.6) | 7 (35.0) | 0.043 |
| ≤ 12 days | 25 (47.2) | 12 (36.4) | 13 (65.0) | |
| Tetanus severity | ||||
| Mild | 11 (18.0) | 8 (20.0) | 3 (14.3) | 0.871 |
| Moderate | 18 (29.5) | 12 (30.0) | 6 (28.6) | |
| Severe | 28 (45.9) | 18 (45.0) | 10 (47.6) | |
| Very severe | 4 (6.6) | 2 (5.0) | 2 (9.5) | |
| Trismus* | ||||
| Absent | 1 (1.7) | 1 (2.6) | 0 | 0.677 |
| Mild | 8 (13.6) | 6 (15.4) | 2 (10.0) | |
| Moderate | 30 (50.8) | 21 (53.8) | 9 (45.0) | |
| Severe | 20 (33.9) | 11 (28.2) | 9 (45.0) | |
| Risus sardonicus | ||||
| Present | 5 (8.2) | 4 (10.0) | 1 (4.8) | 0.479 |
| Absent | 56 (91.8) | 36 (90.0) | 20 (95.2) | |
| Dysphagia* | ||||
| Absent | 6 (10.7) | 3 (8.6) | 3 (14.3) | 0.378 |
| Mild | 28 (50.0) | 20 (57.1) | 8 (38.1) | |
| Severe | 22 (39.3) | 12 (34.3) | 10 (47.6) | |
| Spasms* | ||||
| Short | 25 (73.5) | 15 (71.4) | 10 (76.9) | 0.724 |
| Prolonged | 9 (26.5) | 6 (28.6) | 3 (23.1) | |
| Spasticity | ||||
| Present | 46 (75.4) | 31 (77.5) | 15 (71.4) | 0.601 |
| Absent | 15 (24.6) | 9 (22.5) | 6 (28.6) | |
| Rigidity | ||||
| Localized | 4 (6.6) | 3 (7.5) | 1 (4.8) | 0.681 |
| Generalized | 57 (93.4) | 37 (92.5) | 20 (95.2) | |
| Abdominal rigidity | ||||
| Present | 42 (68.9) | 26 (65.0) | 16 (76.2) | 0.370 |
| Absent | 19 (31.2) | 14 (35.0) | 5 (23.8) | |
| Opisthotonus | ||||
| Present | 6 (9.8) | 6 (15.0) | 0 | 0.062 |
| Absent | 55 (90.2) | 34 (85.0) | 21 (100.0) | |
| Fever | ||||
| Present | 25 (41.0) | 15 (37.5) | 10 (47.6) | 0.445 |
| Absent | 36 (59.0 | 25 (62.5) | 11 (52.4) | |
| Palpitation | ||||
| Present | 6 (9.8) | 4 (10.0) | 2 (9.5) | 0.953 |
| Absent | 55 (90.2) | 36 (90.0) | 19 (90.5) | |
| Urinary retention | ||||
| Present | 6 (9.8) | 6 (15.0) | 0 | 0.069 |
| Absent | 55 (90.2) | 34 (85.0) | 21 (100.0) | |
| Pulse (b/min), mean±SD | 82.9 ±1.6 | 80.0 ±1.9 | 88.2 ±2.3 | 0.011 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean±SD | 111.4 ±1.9 | 109.0 ±2.1 | 115.8 ±3.6 | 0.087 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean±SD | 73.0 ±1.4 | 73.9 ±1.9 | 71.5 ±1.9 | 0.433 |
| Temperature (F), mean±SD | 97.8 ±0.6 | 97.2 ±0.9 | 98.7 ±0.3 | 0.214 |
| Respiratory rate (breaths/min) | 20 ±0.6 | 19.5 ±0.8 | 20.9 ±0.9 | 0.256 |
*Excluding missing values
p-value determined by Mann-Whitney U test, independent samples t test and Chi-square test where appropriate; Significant p-values are shown in bold.