It has been reported that some patients have been misdiagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, when in fact the correct diagnosis in their specific case was Meningitis/encephalitis.
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain tissues which can be caused by a viral infection. Although in over 60% of cases the cause of the encephalitis is never diagnosed. The symptoms of encephalitis are typically those of mild influenza but may also present with vision, speech or hearing problems, hallucinations, personality changes and loss of consciousness. Due to these nonspecific symptoms encephalitis could be misdiagnosed as the result of drugs, or mental health disorders. Without swift antibiotic treatment patients could have severe consequences including hearing or speech loss, cognitive disabilities, memory loss and lack of muscle control. Resulting in the need for long term therapy, medication and supportive medical care.