[Pulmonary manifestations of malaria]

Pulmonary edema is a classic and severe manifestation of falciparum malaria. To evaluate the predictive factors of this severe complication, we studied epidemiological, clinical and biological data of 136 patients with acute malaria. Two groups were individualized according to the presence (group I = 53 patients) or the absence (group II = 83 patients) of pulmonary manifestations. Pulmonary signs incidence was not correlated with impairement consciousness, creatinemia, hypoglycemia, and coagulation abnormalities. However, age, tobacco abused, delay in starting treatment, oliguria, decreased protidemia were significantly increased. These factors, associated with severe malaria, expose to a more important risk of pulmonary edema, often induced by reanimation management.