Tropical Diseases - Travel Medicine
Tropical Diseases - Travel Medicine Private Practice
The treatment of tropical diseases is a special field of infectology. In Hungary, this profession is not yet very widespread, although more and more people are visiting tropical countries, which is why there is a great demand for it.
At Lotusz Medical Center, we therefore pay a lot of attention to being able to provide our patients with a full range of services from prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for tropical diseases.
Our well-trained and experienced doctors are the best in their field, who provide healing solutions for those who suffering from tropical diseases with an empathetic attitude, due care and the application of the latest scientific research and methods.
What symptoms may indicate tropical diseases?
Most tropical diseases are caused by pathogens that have a longer incubation period. For this reason, it is common for the first complaints to appear only after the vacation, after returning home.
Although all tropical diseases have their own characteristics, there are complaints that, when they appear together, it is recommended to visit a specialist, so that the root causes can be discovered early with the appropriate tests.
Therefore, if you have visited a country where tropical diseases occur, make sure to consult a doctor after the trip with the following symptoms:
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High fever or heat rise, which is not accompanied by other complaints.
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Diarrheal condition accompanied by fever, dejection, fatigue and sleepiness.
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Bloody or worm-filled stools.
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Respiratory complaints with cold or flu-like symptoms.
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Lesions, rashes, blisters appearing on the surface of the skin.
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Complaints of venereal disease.
When do you need treatment for tropical diseases?
The treatment of tropical diseases is very important because there are some of them - such as malaria or amoebic liver abscess - that can be treated more effectively the earlier they are diagnosed.
Therefore, if you have been to tropical countries and experience the above symptoms a few days after returning home, contact a specialist immediately. It is recommended to go specifically to a place that deals with tropical diseases, because a general practitioner can easily misdiagnose common complaints.
This is especially important if there was an animal bite, insect bite, injury to the skin or sexual activity during the trip.
How are tropical diseases treated?
Prevention
In relation to the treatment of tropical diseases, it is very important to highlight the issue of prevention!
The LotusZ Medical Center pays a lot of attention to the fact that patients are already prepared to travel, to receive the appropriate advice and the necessary vaccinations, which can avoid a lot of infections.
So if you are going to a country with a tropical climate, feel free to contact us!
Anamnesis
Treatment of tropical diseases typically requires a very complex medical history for diagnosis. For this reason, the patient must answer several questions after the description of the symptoms.
It is important, for example, exactly which country and which regions within it you have visited, as there are areas where certain pathogens are more typical than elsewhere, or perhaps a special version of them is known.
It is also important to know how much time the patient spent in the country in question, what conditions he lived there, what food and drinks he consumed, whether he had contact with the local population, whether he had unprotected sex, and so on.
Since many tropical diseases are spread by animals, the specialist must know the location and number of animal bites and insect bites, in addition to underlying diseases, allergies and conditions affecting the immune system.
This knowledge can help a lot in establishing an accurate diagnosis.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of all tropical diseases is based on a precise anamnesis, but this alone is often insufficient.
For this reason, a targeted laboratory examination, is usually essential , preferably including stool and urine analysis.
In certain cases, it may be necessary to use imaging diagnostics - mainly ultrasound - and, in the case of more serious or complex pathologies, the involvement of other disciplines.
What are the best known tropical diseases?
Although we know a great variety of tropical diseases, in Hungary we can most often encounter the following:
Hepatitis
A very common travel sickness. Virus A is typically spread by contaminated water and food, while Hepatitis B is transmitted through sexual contact, medical interventions, body jewelry, and tattoos.
Malaria
Malaria is one of the most well-known tropical diseases, infecting at least 500 million people every year. In this case, prevention is particularly important, as there are medications that can prevent the problem.
Dengue fever
The dengue virus, which is spread by mosquitoes. It presents with extremely severe pains, headaches and measles-like skin symptoms, and in severe cases causes a decrease in the number of blood platelets. It is important that you already have a vaccination against it!
Leishmaniasis
A parasitic disease spread by infection or sand fly bites in some tropical countries. The severity of the course of the disease is always determined by the state of the immune system. It can cause symptoms on the skin and mucous membranes, but in severe cases it can also affect the intestines.
Chikungunya fever
The chikungunya virus , which causes headaches, muscle and joint pain, as well as swelling and rashes. It is spread by the Asian tiger mosquito and the Egyptian mosquito. Apart from the severe pain, which often lasts for months, it can now be cured quickly.
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