Toxic shock syndrome, << SIHN drohm, >> or TSS, is a rare disease that most frequently occurs in young women who are having a menstrual period. It can, however, strike men and women of any age. Symptoms include a high temperature, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, and a sunburnlike rash.
TSS is caused by a bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus, which can produce infection anywhere on or inside the body. Scientists do not understand exactly how these infections cause TSS. They suspect the bacteria release a toxin (poison) that spreads through the body, probably by way of the bloodstream, and causes TSS.
Fewer than one-thousandth of 1 per cent of all menstruating women are likely to develop TSS each year. Most victims are teen-agers and women in their twenties and thirties who use a tampon—a roll of absorbent material inserted into the vagina—during the menstrual period. Physicians do not know why women who wear tampons run a greater risk of developing TSS than those who wear sanitary napkins. Public health doctors have not advised women to stop using tampons, but they do recommend that tampon-users recognize the symptoms of TSS. A woman who develops symptoms should remove the tampon and call a doctor immediately.
Physicians treat TSS with antibiotics and with fluids given through a vein. A female patient not treated with antibiotics may become ill again during her next menstrual period. Most patients recover and have no further problems. But some lose their hair, fingernails, or toenails about three months after developing TSS. About 5 per cent of TSS cases are fatal.
