INFORMATION ON SLEEPING SICKNESS

Sleeping sickness is a transmittable parasitic disease that is caused by Trypanosoma protozoa. Sleeping sickness is also known as trypanosomiasis and it transfers in human through tsetse fly when it bites the human being. Sleeping sickness can cause serious infection in the brain and the meninges and sometimes the infection leads to death within months or years. Myelin is the fatty white substance that wraps around nerve fibers, providing insulation and allowing nerve signals to move quickly. With absense of myelin, nervous transmission is significantly slowed. Trypanosoma protozoa are a single-celled and a gray-brown insect about the size of a honeybee. These protozoa exist only on the continent of Africa that is why Sleeping Sickness is also known as African sleeping sickness or African trypanosomiasis.

SYNONYMS OF SLEEPING SICKNESS

Synonyms of Sleeping Sickness are:
1. Human African trypanosomiasis.
2. Trypanosoma brucei.
3. Tsetse flies.
4. Glossina species.
5. West African trypanosomiasis.

CAUSES OF SLEEPING SICKNESS

There are two organisms named Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense which are responsible for causing of sleeping sickness. Trypanosoma brucei is a flagellate organism that has propulsive tail and lives in the blood of the host and exists in two sub-species one is Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and another one is Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Sometimes the more severe condition of the illness is caused by rhodesiense. The flagellate reproduces in the bloodstream, and the symptoms develop gradually as the burden of parasites and their harmful effects increases.

SYMPTOMS OF SLEEPING SICKNESS

When the Trypanosoma protozoa attack on brain then behavioral changes like changes in mood, fear with weakness and fever are noticeable in patients. Symptoms include:

1. Headache.
2. Fever.
3. Sweating.
4. Anxiety.
5. Increased sleepiness.
6. Insomnia at night.
7. Mood changes.
8. Drowsiness.
9. Swollen red painful nodule at site of inoculation.

DIAGNOSIS OF SLEEPING SICKNESS

Tests under diagnosis include:

1. Blood smear.
2. Elevated globulin levels.
3. Low albumin levels.
4. Elevated ESR.
5. Lymph node aspiration.
6. Low red blood cell count in blood.

TREATMENT OF SLEEPING SICKNESS

The accurate Diagnosis of sleeping sickness is must because if we diagnose the disease in early stage then there are high chances of cure. Treatment for sleeping sickness is very important otherwise it will leads to death. Type of treatment will depend on phase or stage of sleeping sickness. In later stages of sleeping sickness drugs should be more effective that can cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the parasite. Several drugs like Suramin, eflornithine, pentamidine are effective to treat sleeping sickness. Unluckily, the drugs those are effective against the Trypanosoma brucei have significant side effects for patient of sleeping sickness. Avoid bites by tsetse flies. Keep this thing in mind that Tsetse flies bites only during daytime and of particular risk are visitors to game parks. Pentamidine injections can be used because these protects against sleeping sickness