Clinical manifestations of toxic shock syndrome

Twenty-two women aged 13 to 44 years (mean, 22 years) with toxic shock syndrome (TSS) were hospitalized in Madison, Wis, between Aug 1, 1977, and Sept 1, 1980. Disease onset occurred during menses in 21 patients; all recovered. Notable sequelae included vocal cord paralysis and impaired finger sensation in two patients and recurrent disease in three. Coagulase-positive staphylococci were grown from the cervix or vagina in 11 of 12 women cultured. Previously undescribed features included vulvar cellulitis, hypocalcemia, hypophosphatemia, hypocholesterolemia, hyponatremia, lymphocytopenia, hypoferrinemia, and late convalescent hair and nail loss. Patients requiring dopamine hydrochloride had worse renal function, longer hospitalizations, and higher total serum bilirubin levels, and clinical onset earlier in menses. Originally reported in children, TSS now appears to be primarily a disease of menstruating women in whom recurrences are possible.