Which feature is characteristic of the second week of typhoid fever?

Which feature is characteristic of the second week of typhoid fever?

• A. Bradycardia with fever
• B. Rose spots
• C. Abdominal guarding
• D. Diarrhea

Answer: (B)

In typhoid fever, signs evolve as the illness progresses, and by the second week a classic finding appears: rose spots. These are small, pink-to-red macules on the trunk and sometimes the chest that blanch with pressure. They reflect the ongoing bacteremia and immune-mediated vascular involvement of Salmonella typhi in the skin. They’re most characteristic of the second week, helping to time the disease’s progression. Other features aren’t as tightly linked to the second week. Bradycardia with fever can occur (the Faget sign) but isn’t specific to the second week. Abdominal guarding suggests peritoneal irritation and points to a complication like perforation, which is more a late event. Diarrhea is more common earlier in the illness, with constipation tending to appear later. So rose spots best fit the second-week stage.

In typhoid fever, signs evolve as the illness progresses, and by the second week a classic finding appears: rose spots. These are small, pink-to-red macules on the trunk and sometimes the chest that blanch with pressure. They reflect the ongoing bacteremia and immune-mediated vascular involvement of Salmonella typhi in the skin. They’re most characteristic of the second week, helping to time the disease’s progression.

Other features aren’t as tightly linked to the second week. Bradycardia with fever can occur (the Faget sign) but isn’t specific to the second week. Abdominal guarding suggests peritoneal irritation and points to a complication like perforation, which is more a late event. Diarrhea is more common earlier in the illness, with constipation tending to appear later. So rose spots best fit the second-week stage.