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Start free with EleplanAfrican trypanosomiasis
ORPHA:3385Disease
Also called Sleeping sickness
What it is
A rare parasitic disease characterized by infection with the protozoans Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (East African trypanosomiasis) or T. brucei gambiense (West African trypanosomiasis), usually due to the bite of an infected tsetse fly. The first, hemolymphatic stage presents with fever, headaches, fatigue, lymphadenopathy, and aching muscles and joints. In East African trypanosomiasis, the fly bite may develop into a red sore or chancre. This form then progresses to CNS invasion with somnolence and other neurologic and psychiatric symptoms within a few weeks, while West African trypanosomiasis slowly progresses within about 3 years. Both forms are fatal if left untreated.
Key facts
- Age of onset
- All ages
- Inheritance
- Not applicable
- Classified as
- Disease
Signs and symptoms
Very common80–99%
6Common30–79%
19- Abnormal basal ganglia MRI signal intensity
- Abnormal cerebral white matter morphology
- Abnormal EKG
- Abnormality of central motor function
- Abnormal rapid eye movement sleep
- Apathy
- Brain imaging abnormality
- Fatigue
- Gait disturbance
- Headache
- Hepatomegaly
- Hepatosplenomegaly
- Insomnia
- Lymphadenopathy
- Muscle weakness
- Pruritus
- Rigors
- Splenomegaly
- Weight loss
Sometimes5–29%
47- Abnormal growth hormone level
- Abnormality of circulating cortisol level
- Abnormality of renin-angiotensin system
- Abnormality of speech or vocalization
- Abnormality of the endocrine system
- Abnormality of the menstrual cycle
- Abnormal prolactin level
- Aggressive behavior
and 39 more in this range
Rare1–4%
14and 6 more in this range
These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
ICD-10 codes
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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