Women’s health experts have called for wider information to be made available on the long-term health risks of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), if left untreated.
Although TSS is a very rare, it can be an extremely serious illness that can develop rapidly not only in women, but also in men and children.
Anyone can contract the condition following burns, boils, insect bites or infections after surgery, however, figures show that around half of cases of TSS are linked to women who use tampons as a preferred method of sanitary protection.
According to Alice Kilvert Tampon Alert, TSS develops when the common bacteria Staphylococcus aureus produce toxins into the bloodstream which overwhelm the immune system and attack the major organs, leading to kidney failure, collapse of the lungs and in severe cases, cardiac arrest.
Previous reports suggest that despite treatment, five to 15 per cent of patients affected by TSS will not survive.
Statistics show that 93 per cent of all TSS cases reported from 1979 to 1996 in the US were among women.
