by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
what are effects of malaria?
ANSWER
If a person becomes infected with malaria, they may start to experience the symptoms of the disease. These include high fever, aches, chills, nausea, headache, and sometimes more severe manifestations, such as severe anemia, impaired consciousness and even coma or death. These latter severe effects are more commonly associated with Plasmodium falciparum infection, the most deadly form of malaria.
by Malaria Q&A
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.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
How long does it take malaria to reach your brain?
ANSWER
The process by which malaria affects the brain is complicated, and the amount of time also varies. First of all, only one species of malaria parasite is associated with the brain – this is Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly form of malaria. It is dangerous because when it infects red blood cells, it makes them “sticky,” so that they become lodged in the small blood vessels in the body’s organs. This process is called sequestration, and results in reduced blood flow to the organs, which can result in further complications.
When infected red blood cells sequester in the brain, the result is so-called “cerebral malaria,” which can lead to impaired consciousness, coma and even death. P. falciparum reproduces rapidly, so if not treated promptly, cerebral manifestations of the infection could appear within a matter of a few days of the initial onset of malaria symptoms. The good news is that treatment is very safe and effective, especially when started early, so when malaria is suspected as the possible cause of an illness, a blood test should be performed immediately to test for malaria, and also to determine if the species is P. falciparum.
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by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
which malarial parasite is deadliest for humans, and why?
ANSWER
By far the most deadly malaria parasite is Plasmodium falciparum, as it is responsible for >95% of all malaria deaths every year. Most of these fatalities occur in young children in sub-Saharan Africa.
The causes for why P. falciparum is so deadly are still not fully understood. This parasite has the ability to cause infected red blood cells to become “sticky”, and therefore clog up small blood vessels called capillaries inside the body’s organs. This process is known as “sequestration”. Sequestration reduces blood flow to major organs, resulting in a variety of secondary conditions, perhaps the most famous well-recognized of which is so-called “cerebral malaria”, where oxygen flow to the brain is reduced and as a result of this and other effects of sequestration, impaired consciousness, coma and even death can occur.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
Can malaria affect ones mental fitness?
ANSWER
Given that malaria is often associated with severe fever and flu-like illness, I would say that is usually enough to prevent someone from feeling completely mentally fit! However, in addition to these general symptoms, there are other specific ways in which malaria can affect a patient’s mind.
With a particular type of malaria, called Plasmodium falciparum (the most common form in Africa and the most deadly worldwide), the disease can sometimes progress to what is called cerebral malaria, where the malaria parasite stick to red blood cells that clog up the tiny red blood cells in the brain. This condition is very serious, and can lead to impaired mental function, loss of consciousness, coma and even death. Luckily, these effects are usually reversible and there are rarely permanent mental consequences of infection with malaria if treated promptly and effectively.