The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Incidence of algid malaria a cause for worry

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Tuesday, Jan 08, 2008
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Incidence of algid malaria a cause for worry

Sib Kumar Das

‘Patients die before developing common symptoms’

Some 80 cases reported in last one year
Only early detection can save patients, says expert

BERHAMPUR: Cases of algid malaria, which is fatal in nature, have been found in south Orissa.

According to Umashankar Mishra, assistant professor of medicine in MKCG Medical College, it is a cause for worry for physicians as the disease kills patients much before they develop any common symptoms.

Earlier cases of algid malaria were very few. But now, they are getting reported in large numbers.

Falciparum malaria can kill a non-immune person within a week or two of infection.

Infected by plasmodium falciparum, the red blood cells in the body become very sticky and attach themselves to the walls of the capillaries. It blocks microcirculation, causing fatal cerebral, pulmonary and renal manifestations. Algid malaria can be attributed to the adaptive and mutational changes that plasmodium falciparum has undergone during the past few decades.

Early symptoms

According to Mr. Mishra, only early detection of falciparum infection can save a patient.

But, in case of algid malaria, the patient does not show up basic symptoms of malarial fever like shaking chill and high fever.

Instead, the pathogen starts to show up gastro-enteric symptoms like vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, dehydration with a mild rise in body temperature.

It also leads to low blood pressure, rapid respiration and low urine output. “Without any symptom of fever, the patients and, at times, the physicians treating them fail to suspect possible falciparum infection, and due to the delay in start of malaria treatment the rate of mortality of patients of algid malaria increases,” Mr. Mishra explains.

Hopeless situation

At least 80 cases of algid malaria have been reported at MKCG Medical College and different private hospitals in the city during the past one year.

Usually, patients reach the hospitals with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Death might occur while the patient remaining conscious till the end.

Word of advice

Patients with fever, respiratory and gastro symptoms should always have blood slide examination for malarial parasites in endemic areas and prompt anti-malarial therapy should be started to save life, Mr. Mishra says.

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