Is cerebral malaria different to malaria?
Cerebral malaria is the most severe neurological complication of infection with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. It is a clinical syndrome characterized by coma and asexual forms of the parasite on peripheral blood smears.
What are the identifying features of a blood slide having cerebral malaria?
Clinical features The presence of distinctive retinopathy including retinal hemorrhages, retinal whitening, blood vessel color changes, and/or papilledema helps differentiate cerebral malaria from other causes of encephalopathy.
What is the best treatment for cerebral malaria?
The intravenous administration of artemisinin derivatives, artesunate and quinine are the drugs of choice. Chloroquine has been abandoned due to resistances. It has been described that artesunate reduces mortality by 34.7% compared to quinine, in addition to reducing convulsive episodes, coma and hypoglycemia.
What are the differential diagnosis of malaria?
Others
| Differential diagnosis of Malaria | Symptoms | Diagnosis |
|---|---|---|
| Brucellosis | ✔ | Relative lymphocytosis |
| Typhoid fever | ✔ | Decreased hemoglobin |
| Malaria | ✔ | Microcytosis, elevated LDH |
| Tuberculosis | ✔ | Mild normocytic anemia, hyponatremia, and hypercalcemia |
What is the other name of cerebral malaria?
Human cerebral malaria (HCM) is the most severe complication of P. falciparum infection and has attracted the attention of both clinicians and scientists since the discovery of the malaria parasite. HCM can occur in less than two weeks after a mosquito bite and may develop after 2 to 7 d of fever.
What are the complications of cerebral malaria?
In rare cases, malaria can affect the brain. This is known as cerebral malaria, which can cause your brain to swell, sometimes leading to permanent brain damage. It can also cause fits (seizures) or coma.
What is the mode of transmission of cerebral malaria?
Malaria spreads when a mosquito becomes infected with the disease after biting an infected person, and the infected mosquito then bites a noninfected person. The malaria parasites enter that person’s bloodstream and travel to the liver. When the parasites mature, they leave the liver and infect red blood cells.
How long does it take to recover from cerebral malaria?
Most African children with cerebral malaria survive with appropriate treatment, regaining consciousness within 48–72 hours of starting treatment. 53 62 68 69 The median time for recovery of consciousness is 32.3 hours (95% CI 23.4–41.1).
Which drug is the first choice for cerebral malaria?
Due to widespread chloroquine resistance, therapy should begin with intravenous quinine in the doses of 20mg salt/kg in 5% dextrose over four hours, followed by 10 mg/kg in four hours, eight hourly provided the patient has not been given mefloquine or quinine in last 12 hours.
What are the signs and symptoms of severe malaria?
Signs and symptoms of malaria may include:
- Fever.
- Chills.
- General feeling of discomfort.
- Headache.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Abdominal pain.
- Muscle or joint pain.
What is malaria blood test called?
Rapid diagnostic test. Also called RDT or antigen testing, this is a quick option when blood draws and smears aren’t available. Blood taken from a prick on your finger is put on a test strip that changes color to show whether you have malaria or not.