Cerebral malaria Flashcards
What is the cause of malaria?
disease caused by Plasmodium protozoa which is spread by the female Anopheles mosquito
What are the 4 different species of Plasmodium protozoa which can cause malaria in humans?
- Plasmodium falciparum
- Plasmodium vivax
- Plasmodium ovale
- Plasmodium malariae
Which type of Plasmodium causes nearly all episodes of severe malaria?
Plasmodium falciparum
After Plasmodium falciparum, which type of Plasmodium is the most common cause of malaria?
Plasmodium vivax
What type of malaria is caused by Plasmodium vivax/ ovale/ malariae?
benign malaria
What is the most well-documented protective factor against malaria?
sickle-cell trait
What are 4 protective factors against malaria?
- Sickle cell trait
- G6PD deficiency
- HLA-B53
- Absence of Duffy antigens
Which is the commonest and mos severe type of malaria?
Falciparum malaria
What are 7 features of severe malaria?
- Schizonts on a blood film
- Parasitaemia >2%
- Hypoglycaemia
- Acidosis
- Temperature > 39
- Severe anaemia
- Complications (cerebral malaria, acute renal failure, ARDS, hypoglycaemia, DIC)
What are 5 complications of severe malaria?
- Cerebral malaria: seziures, coma
- Acute renal failure: blackwater fever, secondary to intravascular haemolysis, mechanisms unknown
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- Hypoglycaemia
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
What are 2 key features of cerebral malaria?
- Seizures
- Coma
What causes acute renal failure in Falciparum malaria?
may be renal or prerenal and may occur at the time of maximal parasitaemia or even when the parasites have been cleared
What is blackwater fever?
massive haemoglobinuria (urine becomes very dark, like coca cola) in context of malaria. urine is positive for blood on dipsticks but no red cells seen on microscopy
cause not completely known
What is the gold standard investigation for diagnosis of malaria?
high quality microscopy of peripheral blood film (if unavailable, RDTs - rapid diagnostic tests)
In what regions are strains of uncomplicated falciparum malaria resistant to chloroquine prevalent?
certain areas of Asia and Africa
What is the firts line therapy for uncomplicated falciparum malaria?
artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs)
What are 5 examples of artemisinin-based combination therapies used to treat malaria?
- artemether + lumefantrine
- artesunate + amodiaquine
- artesunate + mefloquine
- artesunate + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine
- dihydroartemisinin + piperaquine