[Hyperactive malarious splenomegaly: diagnosis and therapeutic problems in adults]

The chronic forms of malaria are scarce. We report a case of an hyperactive malarious splenomegaly. This case concerns a 69 year-old man residing in a village of Côte d'Ivoire. He had massive splenomegaly type IV. He was admitted in hospital for progressive loss of weight and moderate fever He presented also asthenia, anaemia and regular hepatomegaly. The haematological, biochemical, immunological and radiological exams ruled out trypanosomiasis, visceral leishmaniasis, tuberculosis, bilharziasis diseases and neoplasia process. His age, the massive splenomegaly, the anaemia, the high antimalarial IgM antibodies in immunofluorescence and the favourable response to the prolonged administration of antimalarial treatment led to the diagnosis of hyperactive malarious splenomegaly despite the detection of Plasmodium falciparum in blood. This observation allows to underline the frequency of this possible underestimated chronic form of malaria in Africa and shows the necessity to consider it seriously when facing massive splenomegaly.