Symptoms of West African Trypanosomiasis
General information about symptoms of West African Trypanosomiasis: The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible symptoms of West African Trypanosomiasis. This symptom information has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of symptoms of West African Trypanosomiasis. Furthermore, symptoms of West African Trypanosomiasis may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of symptoms and whether they are indeed symptoms of West African Trypanosomiasis.
List of symptoms of West African Trypanosomiasis: The list of symptoms mentioned in various sources for West African Trypanosomiasis includes:
- Red sore - at the fly bite site
- Chancre
- Insomnia at night
- Daytime sleepiness
- Fever
- Severe headaches
- Irritability
- Extreme fatigue
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Aching muscles
- Aching joints
- Skin rash
- Swelling around the eye
- Hand swelling
- Progressive confusion
- Personality changes
- Slurred speech
- Seizures
- Difficulty walking
- Difficulty talking
- Weight loss
- See also symptoms of sleeping sickness
Symptoms of West African Trypanosomiasis: A bite by the tsetse fly is often painful. Occasionally, 1-2 weeks after the tsetse fly bite, a red sore, also called a chancre (SHAN-ker) appears at the site of the infective bite. Several weeks to months later, other symptoms of sleeping sickness occur. These include fever, rash, swelling around the eye and hands, severe headaches, extreme fatigue, aching muscles and joints. You may develop swollen lymph nodes on the back of your neck called Winterbottom's sign. Weight loss occurs as the illness progresses. Personality changes, irritability, loss of concentration, progressive confusion, slurred speech, seizures, and difficulty in walking and talking occurs when infection has invaded the central nervous system. These symptoms become worse as illness progresses. Sleeping for long periods of the day and having insomnia at night is a common symptom. If left untreated, infection becomes worse and death will occur within several months to years after infection. 1
More symptoms of West African Trypanosomiasis: In addition to the above information, to get a full picture of the possible symptoms of this condition and its related conditions, it may be necessary to examine symptoms that may be caused by complications of West African Trypanosomiasis, underlying causes of West African Trypanosomiasis, associated conditions for West African Trypanosomiasis, risk factors for West African Trypanosomiasis, or other related conditions.
Medical articles on symptoms: These general reference articles may be of interest:
Footnotes:
1. excerpt from West African Trypanosomiasis: DPD
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Medical Articles: