Early signs of tetanus include:
- Muscle spasms or tightness that begin in the jaw and neck
- Inability to open the mouth (lockjaw) swallowing problems
- Breathing difficulties
- Painful convulsions (fits)
- Abnormal heart rhythms.
Occasionally a person may present with a fever and sometimes develop abnormal heart rhythms. Further complications include:
- Pneumonia (infection of the lungs)
- Broken bones from the muscle spasms
- Respiratory failure
- Cardiac arrest.