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A Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction is a sudden and typically transient reaction that may occur within 24 hours of being administered antibiotics for an infection by a spirochete, including syphilis, leptospirosis, Lyme disease, and relapsing fever. [1]
Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction in a person with syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus [71] One of the potential side effects of treatment is the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction. [3] It frequently starts within one hour and lasts for 24 hours, with symptoms of fever, muscle pains, headache, and a fast heart rate. [3]
The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction is also the name given to a reaction often precipitated by treatment of relapsing fevers. It usually begins within a few hours of the first dose and causes an initial rise in temperature, pulse rate and blood pressure, then followed by marked vasodilation and sweating, which can result in shock.
“There’s a process of inflammation that occurs when the body has an infection, and some of the inflammatory mediators that we use to fight the infection cause fever and body aches,” says ...
Complications and death due to relapsing fever are rare. [citation needed] Tetracycline-class antibiotics are most effective. These can, however, induce a Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction in over half of those treated, producing anxiety, diaphoresis, fever, tachycardia and tachypnea with an initial pressor response followed rapidly by hypotension.
Up to 40% of pregnant women treated for congenital syphilis will develop a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, which is a temporary reaction that usually occurs within a few hours of starting penicillin and resolves by 24 hours. The reaction is characterized by cramping, fever, muscle aches and a rash.
As with antibiotic therapy and other methods of countering bacterial infections, endotoxins are released by the bacteria as they are destroyed within the patient (Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction). This can cause symptoms of fever; in extreme cases, toxic shock (a problem also seen with antibiotics) is possible. [155]
“The infection might only be in one part of the body and not affect the core temperature enough to cause a fever,” Cohan says. ... “Chills can frequently be related to medication reactions ...