Sleeping Sickness

Sleeping sickness is parasitic disease also known as Human African Trypanosomiasis, or sometimes the African Sleeping Sickness. The disease transmits to humans through a fly bite. The tsetse fly carries the infection, which it obtained from other animals or from humans. This illness is rarely outside of the sub-Saharan African region, since this is where these flies are located.

Sleep aids may help you fall asleep.

There are two main forms of sleeping sickness, both of which are found almost exclusively in Africa's poor populations. In both forms of the disease, the bite from the fly causes the parasitic infection. At first, it remains in the tissues, blood and the lymph system of the individual, multiplying. Then, it crosses the blood to brain barrier, entering the central nervous system.

This version, commonly referred to as TBG, is in western and central portions of Africa. It is the most common version, with more than 90 percent of patients infected having this strain. In this form, individuals may not know they have the condition because it can be months or years before any major symptoms appear. When symptoms begin to show, the condition is in its most advanced stages. This version of the illness causes chronic infections. Eventually, when the disease enters its advanced stage, it has entered the central nervous system.

The second type of sleeping sickness more commonly referred to as TBR, is found mostly in the southern and eastern portions of Africa. In this condition, individuals usually have the first signs of infection within a few weeks of contracting it. This type of disease often has symptoms of acute infection. The disease develops quickly and ultimately enters the central nervous system.

Sleeping sickness is not like other sleep problems. It is not a psychological complication to sleeping. Individuals who suffer from this illness have a life threatening infection that can cause sleep disturbances, which is where it gets its name. Individuals who believe they may have contracted the disease, such as those who may have recently visited Africa, should speak to their doctors about it as soon as possible.

Knowing the symptoms of the disease can be helpful:

• First Stage Symptoms: The first stage of the disease causes fever, headaches, itching and joint pain for the individual. These symptoms may be similar to many other infections.
• Second Stage Symptoms: The second stage is the neurological phase. The parasite has entered the central nervous system by crossing over the blood to brain barrier. This is the most common time for serious symptoms to appear such as confusion, poor coordination and sensory disturbances. This is also when the individual will have difficulty with sleeping and is where the disease gets its name. In Africa, this is a tell tale sign of the infection.

Since poor health care exists in many of the countries where sleep sickness happens, it is rare for the condition to be diagnosised prior to the second stage. Without treatment, the condition is fatal.

Treatment for sleeping sickness is dependent on the stage it is in. If caught early, there are effective medications such as Pentamidine and Suramin which are less toxic to the individual than medications which might be needed in more advanced states of the disease. Patients who receive early treatment of the disease are more likely to be able to overcome it.

Treatment for the second stage of sleeping sickness is much more toxic to the individual as a whole. The problem here is that the drug also needs to be able to cross the blood to brain barrier in order to reach the parasite and kill it. The medications are difficult to administer and they often cause a number of bad side effects. The medication Melarsoprol is used to treat the infection and is derived from arsenic. It can cause encephalopathic syndrome in patients. Another medication, Eflornithine, is difficult to use, but less toxic to the individual.

To learn more about sleeping sickness, consider these resources:

• World Health Organization
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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