Toxic Shock Syndrome
Answer: b
• Acute life-threatening illness caused by production of staphylococcal exotoxin (toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, TSST-1)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria: 6 required for confirmation; 5 of 6 indicate a probable case
![image image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBdrvqd-bSNq6W2MPVm8YYHugefwPHbMX3s6GeSOhBy_eG104f-8p1d4Y3k5UuCy6-1Tm8fT9Smyjz5u-v5OEp7veUDu6chPHr8IbNpvHBGz6nJSjBkw4N5UU7L4EMoy7dy6A1azFOtfQ/?imgmax=800)
• Associations: menstruation with prolonged use of tampons, surgery (even if wound is not worrisome), barrier contraceptives
• With early and aggressive management and judicious use of antibiotics and supportive care, the mortality rate for toxic shock syndrome has been estimated at 3%. The use of corticosteroids (to lessen the overwhelming inflammatory response) and immunoglobulins remains controversial