Known is the causal relationship of sleeping sickness with the bite of the tsetse fly. Also known as human African trypanosomiasis, it is an infectious disease caused by a trypanosome that transmits this insect to humans and is common on the African continent.
However, we must distinguish two types of this pathology that affect different geographical areas and differ by the type of trypanosome that causes it:
• Gambiense. It is the most frequent. It is caused by the Trypanosoma brucei gambiense , and occurs in the area of Central and West Africa. It is a chronic infection that can be present for months and years without presenting any symptoms. When these appear, the disease is already in a very advanced stage, which implies a significant affectation of the nervous system.
• Rhodesian. It is caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense , endemic to East Africa and the southern region. It is a more acute form of the disease, since it is detected within a few weeks or months of being bitten by the tsetse fly.
Symptoms of sleeping sickness
The main symptom of sleeping sickness is drowsiness during the day that can become uncontrollable and insomnia at night. But there are other symptoms that help to detect it:
• Changes in mood, which are mainly reflected in states of anxiety.
• Fever
• Sweating
• Headache.
• Swollen glands throughout the body.
• Inflammation of the area where the bite has occurred, accompanied by pain and redness.
• Feeling of weakness
Prevention of sleeping sickness
If you travel to areas of Africa where sleeping sickness occurs, it is very important to avoid the natural habitat of the tsetse fly, which is found in places with dense vegetation on the coast, rivers and lakes, as well as in the savannah and in some forests. certain forests and savanna. But you can also take other preventive measures:
• Dress in loose clothing, cotton or linen and light colors, covering the body as much as possible.
• Apply insect repellants containing N-diethyl-m-toluamide (deet) or dimethyl phthalate to exposed areas of the skin, especially in the hottest hours.
• Use a mosquito net on the bed, preferably treated with permethrin or deltamethrin. Of course, you have to make sure that there are no insects before entering it and then fix it so that it cannot be opened.
• Pirterine insecticides can be used inside buildings.
Treatment of sleeping sickness
Until now, the treatment of sleeping sickness was carried out with drugs that are administered intravenously and, therefore, require hospitalization of the patient. In addition, they vary depending on the type of sleeping sickness in question. In the case of the Rodhesian form, if the nervous system is not affected, a drug called suramin is used, although it has significant adverse effects, so it must be administered under medical supervision.
On the contrary, if there is already involvement of the central nervous system, melarsoprol should be used, a drug with high toxicity, so it should be administered every ten to twenty days. In the Gambian form the drugs used are eflornithine and pentamidine.
However, since 2019, the first specific oral treatment for sleeping sickness, called fexinidazole, has been available and has been shown to be effective in all phases of the disease. It is administered as a daily dose for ten days and is especially effective in the Gambian form, which is the most common.
Comments
Post a Comment