neurologic disorders
Rabies
Symptoms and Signs of Rabies
Pain or paresthesias may develop at the site of the bite. Rapidity of progression depends on the viral inoculum and proximity of the wound to the brain. The incubation period averages 1 to 2 months but may be>1 year. Initial symptoms of rabies are nonspecific: fever, headache, and malaise. Within days, encephalitis (furious rabies; in 80%) or paralysis (dumb rabies; in 20%) develops. Encephalitis causes restlessness, confusion, agitation, bizarre behavior, hallucinations, and insomnia. Salivation is excessive, and attempts to drink cause painful spasms of the laryngeal and pharyngeal muscles (hydrophobia). In the paralytic form, ascending paralysis and quadriplegia develop without delirium and hydrophobia. 