Malaria Effects on Brain

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QUESTION

Does malaria affect your brain?

I was 18months when I had it and I almost died. I didn’t talk until I was 3 years old and have always had troubles with schooling. Now I’m 23 and for at least 3/4 years I’ve had problems with my memory and speech. I don’t know if its new or I have just been noticing it more since I’m older and I’m still experiencing my learning troubles. So can this be a result of my malaria?

ANSWER

In fact, cerebral malaria (one of the most severe and deadly manifestations) is linked to mental and developmental issues later in life. In sub-Saharan Africa, where the vast majority of cases of cerebral malaria in children are found, malaria is actually a leading cause of neuro-disability. As such, it could well be that some of the difficulties you have experienced with memory, speech and learning could have been at least partially caused by infection with malaria as a young child. It may be that certain forms of neuro-therapy may assist in improving some of your difficulties, though you would have to talk to a specialist in neurodisabilities.

Can Malaria Penetrate the Brain

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QUESTION

Can malaria penetrate the brain?

 

ANSWER

Approximately 1% of people with malaria will develop a severe form, and in these cases the brain can be affected.  When the brain is affected, the condition is called cerebral malaria.  Functional changes to the blood-brain barrier occur in cerebral malaria, possibly as a result of the binding of parasitized red blood cells to cerebral endothelial cells,  although scientists do not really understand the mechanism.  However, people suffering from cerebral malaria can have seizures, fall into a coma, or show other neurological problems.

Without treatment, cerebral malaria generally leads to death.  Among children with cerebral malaria who received treatment and survived, it has been found that about a quarter (25%) have long-term problems with thought processes, motor function or have behavior impairments and  10% develop epilepsy.

Malaria Cure

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QUESTION

What medicine is good for curing malaria?

ANSWER

There are lots of different types of medication which are effective against malaria. However, for uncomplicated, unsevere cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends using a type of medication called artemisinin-based combination therapy, or ACT. Again, there are many types of ACTs, so the name may vary depending on what is most common in your area, but some widespread brands include Coartem, Lonart, Duo-Cotecxin, etc. In some countries, they are known by an abbreviation of the drug name – for example, in Tanzania, the most common ACT is a combination of artemether and lumefantrine, and the different brands are collectively known as Alu.

For severe or complicated malaria (there is no hard and fast definition, but the clinical diagnosis may include cerebral involvement, seizure, coma, inability to take oral medication, severe anaemia, etc), the WHO recommends intravenous  (IV) artesunate, with quinine as a second choice.

There are also additional forms of treatment which may be used in certain settings, depending on the geographical region and the type of malaria, or if one of the above treatments is not successful. Likewise, pregnant women should not take ACTs, so they need to seek alternative forms of treatment, such as chloroquine (if the local malaria is known to be sensitive), mefloquine or sulfadoxine-pyremethamine.

Effects of Malaria on Brain

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QUESTION

Can malaria or the fever of malaria (or the medication) cause a teen to become depressed and suicidal 18 months on.

ANSWER

That is unlikely. Malaria, when treated, usually resolves completely, without any lingering effects. In some cases, people with severe cerebral malaria can have lasting neurological impacts, such as altered behaviour and difficulties with learning. Some studies have also shown that combat veterans who experienced cerebral malaria were more likely to suffer psychological effects after returning home, which included depression. However, again, a key feature of possible psychological conditions after malaria is that the patient experienced severe, cerebral, P. falciparum malaria. In other, non-complicated, cases of malaria, I have not found evidence for lasting psychological effects.

Malaria Symptoms

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QUESTION

What are the symptoms of Malaria?

ANSWER

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Symptoms usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. Infection with one type of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines.

For most people, symptoms begin 10 days to 4 weeks after infection, although a person may feel ill as early as 7 days or as late as 1 year later. Two kinds of malaria, P. vivax and P. ovale, can occur again (relapsing malaria). In P. vivax and P. ovale infections, some parasites can remain dormant in the liver for several months up to about 4 years after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. When these parasites come out of hibernation and begin invading red blood cells (“relapse”), the person will become sick.

Infection with malaria parasites may result in a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from absent or very mild symptoms to severe disease and even death. Malaria disease can be categorized as uncomplicated or severe/complicated. In general, malaria is a curable disease if diagnosed and treated promptly and correctly.

Malaria with Liver and Kidney Problems

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QUESTION

Can someone please tell me what kind of malaria this is. What part of the body it attacks, e.g., cerebral? Patient presenting with liver and kidney “problems”. What could these be?

ANSWER

I am not sure I fully understand your question, but the type of malaria which is associated with cerebral malaria, and also tends to have the most adverse effects on other organs (such as the kidneys) is Plasmodium falciparum. However, all species of malaria go through the liver as part of their life cycle, so all may invoke some kidney problems. The four other types of malaria which infect humans are P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P.knowlesi.

Malaria Effect on Host

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QUESTION

What is the effect of malaria on host?

ANSWER

In the human host, malaria can often make a person very sick, though the exact symptoms and severity of the disease depends on the type of malaria (five different kinds of malaria infect humans). Many people will have a high fever, chills, nausea and body aches. In a symptom very typical of malaria, a patient will experience cyclical fever, with periods of no fever in between, lasting between one and two days. In infections with Plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous kind of malaria, patients may experience impaired consciousness, a sign of “cerebral malaria”, which can lead to loss of consciousness, coma and even death.

In terms of the mosquito host (more commonly called the vector), the insect does not experience “illness” in the same way as the human host, and the parasite does not seem to have a particularly negative effect on the mosquito. However, some research has shown that infection with malaria may cause a mosquito to seek out blood meals more frequently, which scientists argue is an adaptation of the malaria parasite to ensure that its life cycle is continued.

Which Malaria is Most Deadly

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QUESTION

In which form of malaria is the death rate highest?

ANSWER

The most dangerous form of malaria in people is Plasmodium falciparum. It causes the most severe symptoms (for example, “cerebral malaria”) and also the most deaths. It is widespread around the world, but most deaths due to P. falciparum (and in fact, all malaria) occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malaria Symptoms Flash Back

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QUESTION

I got cerebral malaria in Uganda in 1988. Upon returning to the US I was part of an on-going study through the CDC for a couple years. During that time I had recurrence of what appeared to be an 8-10 hour relapse of the severe body aches, disorientation, fever, chills etc. The tropical doctor that was following me informed me that with something as severe as cerebral malaria the brain can record the experience and periodically and randomly play it back kind of like an LSD flashback. I was tested on multiple occasions and the parasite was dead. This has happened to me every several years since 1988.

I had a recurrence of these malaria-like symptoms last night and this morning and by 10 am I felt fine. I looked online but could not find anything relating to this information of the brain replaying the symptoms. Can you let me know if this is common or true?

Thank you in advance.

ANSWER

Hi, that is a very interesting story! I personally have not heard of other cases where a patient experienced regular “flashbacks” and I have consluted one of our medical advisers, and he has not personally heard of other cases of malaria “flashbacks” either.

It might be worth checking up directly with the CDC to see if any other patients they followed experienced similar after effects.

Long and Short Term Effects of Malaria

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QUESTION

What are the long term and short term effects of malaria in brief please?

ANSWER

The symptoms of malaria as an acute infection vary somewhat depending on the type of malaria, but usual signs include high fever (often in a cyclical pattern, with fever one day, then no fever for one or two days, then a recurrence of fever), chills, body aches and nausea.

For Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly form of malaria, the infection can progress rapidly if left untreated, with organ failure, impaired consciousness, coma and even death occurring as quickly as a few days after the onset of symptoms.

If the patient is able to survive the infection, or gets treatment in time, there are usually no long term affects of malaria infection. Some people who have suffered severe cerebral malaria (from P. falciparum) may experience some longer term neurological effects. Other types of malaria, such as P. ovale and P. vivax, can form dormant life stages which hide in the liver for weeks, months or even years, leading to relapse at a later date. However, apart from these recurrences, there are also no long term effects of infection with these types of malaria.