Friday, February, 10, 2012

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Spotted fever


Symptoms

Symptoms usually develop about 2 to 14 days after the tick bite. They may include:

  • Chills
  • Fever
  • Severe headache
  • Muscle pain
  • Mental confusion
  • Rash -- usually starts a few days after the fever; first appears on wrists and ankles as spots that are 1 - 5 mm in diameter, then spreads to most of the body. About one-third of infected people do not get a rash at all.

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

  • Abnormal sensitivity to light
  • Diarrhea
  • Excessive thirst
  • Hallucinations
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting

Signs and tests

Tests that may be done include:

  • Antibody titer by complement fixation or immunofluorescence
  • Kidney function tests
  • Platelet count
  • Partial thromboplastin time (PTT)
  • Prothrombin time (PT)
  • Red blood cell count
  • Skin biopsy taken from the rash to check for R. rickettsii
  • Urinalysis to check for blood in the urine or protein in the urine

Review Date: 07/27/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)