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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffIf detected in its early stages, Rocky Mountain spotted fever can be most successfully treated with medication. Left untreated, the infection can spread from the site of the bite via your bloodstream, potentially causing infection in other areas of your body. Rocky Mountain spotted fever may cause serious complications involving your joints, heart, lungs, kidneys, and central and peripheral nervous system, such as:
- Heart, lung or kidney failure
- An infection of the membranes and fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
- Brain damage
- Problems with blood clotting
- Gangrene and possible amputation of fingers, toes, arms or legs
- Shock
In a small percentage of cases, Rocky Mountain spotted fever causes death, usually because treatment is delayed or is never sought.
- Chen LF, et al. What's new in Rocky Mountain spotted fever? Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 2008;22:415.
- Sexton DJ. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 31, 2009.
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever: Questions and answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/disease/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever/faq.htm. Accessed Aug. 3, 2009.
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch177/ch177f.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2009.
- Razzaq S, et al. Rocky Mountain spotted fever: A physician's challenge. Pediatrics in Review. 2005;26:125.
- Walker DH, et al. Rickettsia rickettsii and other spotted fever group rickettsiae (Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other spotted fevers). In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/152732979-3/0/1259/1529.html?tocnode=51381835&fromURL=1529.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2009.
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/rockyMountainSpottedFever/default.htm. Accessed Aug. 3, 2009.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Diagnosis and management of tickborne rickettsial diseases: Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichioses, and anaplasmosis - United States. MMWR Recommendations and Reports. 2006;55:4. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5504.pdf. Accessed Aug. 3, 2009.
- Sexton DJ. Treatment of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 31, 2009.
- Removing ticks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tick_removal.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2009.
