BACKGROUND: More than 1000 cases of malaria are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each year among travelers or immigrants. METHODS: Retrospective study of patients with malaria seen at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, between October 1988 and September 2000. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-six cases of malaria were diagnosed at Grady Memorial Hospital during the study period. Fourteen patients had seen a physician prior to coming to Grady Memorial Hospital, and in 71% the diagnosis was missed. Half had recently immigrated and half recently traveled to an endemic area, yet only 22% of travelers took prophylaxis. Plasmodium falciparum was the most commonly identified species (52.4%), followed by Plasmodium vivax (23.9%). Seventy-two patients (57.1%) required hospitalization. Presenting symptoms included fever (94%), chills (56%), nausea/vomiting (38%), headache (26%), and abdominal pain (26%). Most patients were diagnosed correctly on the day of admission (79%). Twelve patients (16.7%) had severe malaria, and their complications included severe anemia (9.7%), acute renal failure (4.2%), bleeding and/or disseminated intravascular coagulation (4.2%), shock (2.8%), seizures (2.8%), and hypoglycemia (2.8%). One patient died, and two pregnant women had premature deliveries. Median hospital stay was 3.9 days. One third of the hospitalized patients with P vivax failed to receive primaquine, and in 15% of patients with P falciparum, the treatment was considered to be inappropriate. CONCLUSIONS: Although some patients with malaria have a benign course and a good outcome, many patients require hospitalization, and some have severe complications. Increased efforts are needed to educate travelers about the need for prophylaxis.
BACKGROUND: More than 1000 cases of malaria are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each year among travelers or immigrants. METHODS: Retrospective study of patients with malaria seen at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, between October 1988 and September 2000. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-six cases of malaria were diagnosed at Grady Memorial Hospital during the study period. Fourteen patients had seen a physician prior to coming to Grady Memorial Hospital, and in 71% the diagnosis was missed. Half had recently immigrated and half recently traveled to an endemic area, yet only 22% of travelers took prophylaxis. Plasmodium falciparum was the most commonly identified species (52.4%), followed by Plasmodium vivax (23.9%). Seventy-two patients (57.1%) required hospitalization. Presenting symptoms included fever (94%), chills (56%), nausea/vomiting (38%), headache (26%), and abdominal pain (26%). Most patients were diagnosed correctly on the day of admission (79%). Twelve patients (16.7%) had severe malaria, and their complications included severe anemia (9.7%), acute renal failure (4.2%), bleeding and/or disseminated intravascular coagulation (4.2%), shock (2.8%), seizures (2.8%), and hypoglycemia (2.8%). One patient died, and two pregnant women had premature deliveries. Median hospital stay was 3.9 days. One third of the hospitalized patients with P vivax failed to receive primaquine, and in 15% of patients with P falciparum, the treatment was considered to be inappropriate. CONCLUSIONS: Although some patients with malaria have a benign course and a good outcome, many patients require hospitalization, and some have severe complications. Increased efforts are needed to educate travelers about the need for prophylaxis.
Authors: Joseph Khoory; Jessica Estanislau; Abdallah Elkhal; Asmae Lazaar; Mark I Melhorn; Abigail Brodsky; Ben Illigens; Itaru Hamachi; Yasutaka Kurishita; Alexander R Ivanov; Sergey Shevkoplyas; Nathan I Shapiro; Ionita C Ghiran Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-01-19 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Liese C Koopmans; Marlies E van Wolfswinkel; Dennis A Hesselink; Ewout J Hoorn; Rob Koelewijn; Jaap J van Hellemond; Perry J J van Genderen Journal: Malar J Date: 2015-12-24 Impact factor: 2.979