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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffAlthough children with typhoid fever sometimes become sick suddenly, signs and symptoms are more likely to develop gradually — often appearing one to three weeks after exposure to the disease. In some cases you may not become sick for as long as two months after exposure.
First stage
Once signs and symptoms do appear, you're likely to experience:
- Fever, often as high as 103 or 104 F (39 or 40 C)
- Headache
- Weakness and fatigue
- A sore throat
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Rash
Children are more likely to have diarrhea, whereas adults may become severely constipated. During the second week, you may develop a rash of small, flat, rose-colored spots on your lower chest or upper abdomen. The rash is temporary, usually disappearing in two to five days.
Second stage
If you don't receive treatment for typhoid fever, you may enter a second stage during which you become very ill and experience:
- Continuing high fever
- Either diarrhea that has the color and consistency of pea soup or severe constipation
- Considerable weight loss
- Extremely distended abdomen
The typhoid state
By the third week, you may:
- Become delirious
- Lie motionless and exhausted with your eyes half-closed in what's known as the typhoid state
Life-threatening complications often develop at this time.
Improvement
Improvement may come slowly during the fourth week. Your fever is likely to decrease gradually until your temperature returns to normal in another week to 10 days. But signs and symptoms can return up to two weeks after your fever has subsided.
