Successful treatment of malaria tropica with acute renal failure and cerebral involvement by plasmapheresis and hemodialysis.

A non-immune, 31-year-old woman developed an acute infection with Plasmodium falciparum after travelling to Kenia. The parasites proved resistant to chloroquine and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine. The course of the disease was complicated by acute renal failure, hepatocellular damage, disorders of blood coagulation, thrombocytopenia, hemolysis and cerebral involvement. Despite a very high level of parasitemia (50% parasitized erythrocytes) a rapid clinical improvement was achieved by plasmapheresis and hemodialysis. Our experience shows that plasmapheresis and hemodialysis are excellent additive methods which rapidly improve clinical symptoms and may reduce morbidity and mortality in severe malaria tropica.