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Clinical malaria in the tropics
1Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
The Medical Journal of Australia
|August 2, 1993
Summary
Malaria is increasing in the tropics, causing severe illness and death. New drugs like artemisinin offer hope for reducing malaria mortality, as resistance to older treatments grows.
Area of Science:
- Tropical medicine
- Infectious diseases
- Parasitology
Background:
- Malaria remains a significant health threat in tropical regions, with Plasmodium falciparum causing over a million deaths annually.
- Severe malaria presents as a multisystem disease, impacting the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver, with varying symptoms in adults and children.
- Antimalarial drug resistance, particularly to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, is widespread, complicating treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the increasing prevalence and severity of malaria in tropical areas.
- To discuss the challenges posed by widespread drug resistance in malaria treatment.
- To introduce newer antimalarial drugs with potential for reducing mortality.
Main Methods:
- Review of current malaria epidemiology and clinical manifestations.
- Analysis of antimalarial drug resistance patterns.
- Evaluation of the efficacy of emerging antimalarial therapies.
Main Results:
- Plasmodium falciparum malaria is on the rise in the tropics, leading to severe multisystem disease.
- Resistance to key antimalarials like chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is a major concern.
- Artemisinin and its derivatives demonstrate rapid action and effectiveness, offering a promising approach to malaria control.
Conclusions:
- Malaria diagnosis in febrile patients from tropical regions requires prompt blood smear examination.
- Effective malaria treatment necessitates consideration of widespread drug resistance.
- Artemisinin-based therapies represent a significant advancement in reducing malaria-related mortality in endemic areas.