Infectious Disease Specialists in Bangkok: Trusted Diagnosis & Treatment

By Your Health Magazine

Each and every one of us, in fact every human being on the planet, could be forgiven for thinking that each of us is a single being. One which thinks and acts independently of all other living beings. We may look upon ourselves as each being a single entity, but the truth is very different.

A sole human being, although in control of their own thoughts and actions, is far from being alone. Every human being plays its part as a host for billions of other living organisms, bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi, throughout their entire life. It has been estimated that the average person is home to 39 trillion microbial cells. This is 9 trillion more than the hosts own human cells!

Very often some microbial cells will lay siege to a human host and seek to undermine the body’s normal, healthy functioning. This can cause sickness from mild to serious, and of course, death. And these unwelcome invaders are rarely satisfied with existing within one single host. They multiply and easily find ways to meet and infect new hosts with remarkable efficiency.

This, often rapid, movement of destructive cells can lead to an epidemic, or even pandemic. An epidemic being the rapid spread of a disease through a population in a specific area. A pandemic is when this same accelerated spreading of disease reaches across counties and continents, thus endangering the lives and wellbeing of many millions of people.

Now, in the 21^st century, infection resulting in a contagion of pandemic proportions has become very familiar. However, this is far from being a modern phenomenon. Records of a pandemic go back to the Peloponnesian War in Athens in the year 430 BC. Also well documented was the Cyprian plague in the year 250 AD, which ravaged Ethiopia and spread across Africa to Rome, where it quickly spread across the entire Roman empire.

Modern medical science may have discovered ways of preventing and combating epidemics and pandemics, but they still occur and have been doing so throughout the 20^th and 21^st centuries. In 1918 “Spanish” influenza is believed to have claimed the lives of up to 100 million people. In 1957 influenza again claimed many lives, on this occasion around 4 million people.

From 1981 the HIV/AIDS pandemic has so far taken the lives of 44 million people, and this figure will continue to rise. And of course, we are all well aware of the Covid 19 pandemic, which to date has killed around 36 million people, with no estimates of what the final death toll might be.

With all this horrific data, it is worth remembering that the vast majority of infections are isolated incidents where an otherwise healthy individual’s body is invaded by unfriendly microbial calls, intent on doing harm to its host. Whilst living within the host these cells will multiply and look for opportunities to jump to new hosts.

Understanding this very complicated area of medical science requires highly skilled professionals. Experts in internal medicine, and having gained specific knowledge in the management, diagnosis, and treatment of infections, are referred to as infectious disease specialists, or ID doctors.

At the Infectious Disease Clinic in Bangkok, a team of world class ID doctors has been assembled solely focused on the management, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases as a result of infection from the multitude of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites that exist and are constantly trying to invade our bodies.

Infectious Disease Diagnosis

At the Infectious Disease Clinic in Bangkok the first step in diagnosis involves a clinical evaluation. The ID doctoral team will assess a patient’s physical symptoms, which may include a fever, rash, or inflammation, dizzy spells or issues with balance and coordination. The team will also study the individual’s medical history to ascertain whether there is a pattern of infection.

Laboratory Testing

Samples will be taken from the patient’s blood and urine for testing. From these samples, lab technicians will grow bacteria to aid in identifying specific microorganisms. This culture procedure is essential for prescribing the correct antibiotics to combat the particular infection.

Where faster results are needed, antigen tests will be conducted. Using body fluids and tissues the tests can indicate the presence of alien antigens that are detrimental to health and wellbeing. Serological testing will look for the presence of antibodies in the blood which can point to past or current infections. Additionally, molecular tests aid in accurately diagnosing the existence of the harmful agents by amplifying genetic material.

Diagnostic Imaging

X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs are imaging techniques that aid in the diagnostics of many health issues, including that of infectious diseases. The visualization of the body’s internal organs and its structures within will provide the specialists with images which help them to identify abnormalities or inflammation caused by infection.

Diagnostic Biopsy

The ID doctoral team may wish to conduct a biopsy. A biopsy is where a sample of tissue is taken from the patient for examination. The tissue sample will then be examined in the laboratory. Modern, sophisticated microscopes are used to ascertain whether the tissue has been infected by a foreign agent.

Infectious Disease Treatment

There are 4 main treatment types successfully administered by the infectious disease team at Bangkok’s Infectious Disease Clinic. Firstly, there are antibiotics. These are used to treat bacterial infections. They act by killing or slowing the growth of the alien bacteria. Antivirals are used in the same way to combat a viral infection, examples being HIV and the Covid 19 virus. Antifungals are used for fungal infections, which can range from nail and skin infections to systemic issues. An antiparasitic, as the name suggests, fights any parasitic infection, this might include malaria or dengue fever.

All infectious diseases need to be diagnosed and treated promptly and effectively to safeguard others from contracting the disease. If this is not done the disease will spread. The results of allowing a disease to go unchecked will very likely cause a devastating epidemic, or pandemic.

Samitivej Hospital’s Infectious Disease Clinic in Bangkok has a world leading team of ID doctors and specially trained support staff that understand the complexities and intricacies of microbial cell infections. The clinic’s reputation is unsurpassed, not only within the Indigenous population of the kingdom, but with expats too, and a growing number of visitors from across the world who are seeking a world class medical service.