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Sleeping sickness - Symptom

Alternative Names

African trypanosomiasis

Symptoms:

General symptoms include:

Signs and tests:

A physical examination may show signs of inflammation of the brain and its covering, the meninges (meningoencephalitis).

Tests include the following:

Most antibody and antigen tests are not very helpful because they cannot tell the difference between current and past infection. Specific IgM levels in the cerebrospinal fluid may be helpful, however.

  • Reviewed last on: 12/7/2010
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Kirchoff LV. Agents of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolan R, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Orlando, FL: Saunders Elsevier;2009:chap 278.

Quinn TC. African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 367.

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