Anthrax Prognosis: An Overview
A prognosis is a medical opinion as to the likely course and outcome of a disease, or the chance that a patient will recover. Many factors affect a person's prognosis.
When doctors consider a person's prognosis, they carefully assess all of the factors that could affect that person's disease and treatment, and then try to predict what might happen. The doctor bases the
anthrax prognosis on information that researchers have collected over many years. When possible, the doctor uses statistics based on groups of people whose situations are most similar to that of an individual patient.
The doctor may speak of a favorable anthrax prognosis if the condition is likely to respond well to
anthrax treatment. The anthrax prognosis may be unfavorable if the anthrax is likely to be difficult to control. It is important to keep in mind, however, that a prognosis is only a prediction. The doctor cannot be absolutely certain about the outcome for a particular patient.
Factors Influencing an Anthrax Prognosis
The anthrax prognosis will depend on a number of factors, including:
Early anthrax treatment for all anthrax types improves the anthrax prognosis.
Cutaneous Anthrax Prognosis
Cutaneous anthrax is usually cured with anthrax treatment. The cutaneous anthrax death rate is 20 percent without antibiotic treatment and less than 1 percent with it.