Malaria Drugs Side Effects

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QUESTION

I was affected by malaria 5 months back. I am feeling tiered and weakness and heart trembling symptoms.

Any suggestions to overcome weakness?

ANSWER

Your fatigue is probably not caused by the treatment—one of the potential residual effects of malaria infection is iron deficiency, which can lead to anaemia, and this can cause tiredness. Eating iron-rich foods or asking your doctor about iron supplements might help if indeed you find your iron levels are too low. Recovery from any illness can sometimes take a long time, and getting plenty of rest, eating well and keeping well hydrated will all help you to regain your strength.

If you have recently taken malaria medication, perhaps you would be willing to spend a few minutes to take our Malaria Medication Side Effects Survey? We are very interested in hearing about the experiences of people who have taken different types of malaria medication, and particularly any side effects they have experienced. The survey should only take a few minutes and will be anonymous; we will publish the results on the website for you to see. Many thanks for your assistance!

Malaria Symptoms

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QUESTION

How does the virus cause the symptoms?

ANSWER

Malaria is actually not caused by a virus—it is caused by a microscopic single-celled parasite called Plasmodium. Several different species cause malaria in humans, the most common of which are P. vivax and P. falciparum.

To describe the process in a very oversimplified way, the malaria parasites cause disease by infecting red blood cells, multiplying inside them, then simultaneously bursting out again, destroying then red blood cell in the process. The sudden destruction of lots of red blood cells, plus the debris and waste products left behind by the malaria parasites, stimulate a rapid immune reaction, which itself causes the rapid spike of fever. The characteristic cycles of fever sometimes seen with malaria sufferers occurs because the malaria parasites synchronise their emergence from the red blood cells. The destruction of red blood cells, together with concurrent physiological changes associated with immune response and inflammation, can also lead to decreased haemoglobin levels and anaemia.

More severe clinical symptoms are often seen with P. falciparum malaria infection, particularly if not promptly diagnosed and treated. This is because the P. falciparum parasite infects a red blood cell, it changes the surface of the cell and makes it “sticky”; when the red blood cell then tries to pass through the small blood vessels that lead into the body’s organs, it becomes stuck. This process is known as “sequestration”. If enough red blood cells become sequestered in the organs, it can reduce blood flow to the organ, resulting in oxygen deprivation. When this happens in the blood vessels in the brain, the patient may experience impaired consciousness, confusion and even coma and death—this manifestation is known as “cerebral malaria.”