All the clinical symptoms and manifestations of malaria, involving the different organs, are due to the asexual, erythrocytic phase of infection.[1] The pre-erythrocytic phase that affects only a very few hepatocytes passes off as a ‘silent’ phase[2] without any symptoms. The sexual forms of the parasite (gametocytes), also do not…
Malaria is known for its fever paroxysm, starting with chills, rigors, high grade fever, followed by sweating as the fever declines. However, this classical pattern may not be seen in many patients, particularly during the initial days of clinical malaria. In the initial 48 hours of the erythrocytic phase of…
Table 1: Comparison of the Five Plasmodial Species Causing Human Malaria [1-4] P. falciparum P. vivax P. ovale P. malariae P. knowlesi Worldwide Distribution 80-90% of cases in Africa, 40-50% of cases in western pacific and SE Asia, 4-30% in S Asia and S America and rest of tropics…
“The symptoms of this fever, it is to be regretted, are so various and irregular, in different cases and under different circumstances, that a mere nosological definition of them would afford no precise information and might mislead those it was intended to instruct.” – Boyle, 1831[1] Malaria most often presents…
System Manifestations Differential diagnosis General Fever, malaise, prostration, body ache Any cause for fever and sepsis; lymphadenopathy, dysuria and rashes rare in malaria Head ache Migraine, sinusitis, tension headache, intracranial space occupying lesion/raised intracranial tension, meningitis Respiratory Cough, chest pain (pleuritic), breathlessness, wheezing, hemoptysis, tachypnoea Pharyngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchopneumonia, worsening…
Malaria as a clinical entity was well known to ancient peoples of the world. References to repeated paroxysmal fevers associated with enlarged spleens and a tendency to epidemic occurrence can be found in the Chinese Nei Ching (The Canon of Medicine), dated 4,700 years ago. The Sumerian and Egyptian texts…
Malaria is a febrile illness characterised by fever and related symptoms. However it is very important to remember that malaria is not a simple disease of fever, chills and rigors. In fact, in a malarious area, it can present with such varied and dramatic manifestations that malaria may have to…
