Understanding Gambiense Sleeping Sickness
Author Information
Author(s): Francesco Checchi, João A. N. Filipe, Michael P. Barrett, Daniel Chandramohan
Primary Institution: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Hypothesis
Is human trypano-tolerance a reality in gambiense sleeping sickness?
Conclusion
Most untreated cases of gambiense sleeping sickness are fatal, but there may be rare instances of self-resolving infections.
Supporting Evidence
- Most gambiense HAT cases are fatal if untreated.
- Self-resolving and asymptomatic chronic infections probably constitute a minority.
- Chronic carriage deserves further study as it could lead to renewed epidemics.
Takeaway
Gambiense sleeping sickness usually makes people very sick and can lead to death, but some people might not get very sick at all.
Methodology
A literature review of published evidence on the natural progression of gambiense HAT in the absence of treatment.
Potential Biases
Potential biases include insensitive diagnostic methods and self-selection of patients.
Limitations
Many studies had small sample sizes and lacked detailed methodology.
Participant Demographics
The studies reviewed included patients from various countries in Africa, primarily Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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