Weight loss and a body rash are also common. Infection of the central nervous system causes confusion, personality changes, slurred speech, seizures, and difficulty in walking and talking. If left untreated, the illness becomes worse, and death occurs within several weeks to months. Persons with West African trypanosomiasis sometimes develop a chancre 1 to 2 weeks after the tsetse fly bite. Other symptoms occur several weeks to months later and include fever, rash, swelling around the eyes and hands, severe headaches, extreme tiredness, and aching muscles and joints.
Some people develop swollen lymph glands on the back of the neck.
Weight loss occurs as the illness worsens. Infection of the central nervous system causes personality changes, irritability, loss of concentration, confusion, slurred speech, seizures, and difficulty in walking and talking. Many patients sleep for a long time during the day and have trouble sleeping at night. Without treatment, the illness gets worse and results in death several months to years after infection. Trypanosomiasis can be diagnosed by laboratory tests on blood and spinal fluid.