Plasmodium vivax cerebral malaria with pancytopenia in the peruvian amazon: case report

Plasmodium vivax causes 81% of all malaria cases and is the most common species in the Peruvian Amazon. We present the case of a male patient with cerebral malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax, who had general malaise and fever, and then presented seizures more than twice a day with loss of consciousness and motor functional limitation. Plasmodium vivax trophozoites were detected by thick blood smear, besides, we also observed low counts of all three blood cell types. Treatment began with artesunate and clindamycin for five days, then one unit of packed red blood cells was transfused; treatment continued with primaquine for seven days. The patient showed clinical improvement with neurological sequelae in one lower limb.