Tuberc Respir Dis.  1998 Aug;45(4):888-895. 10.4046/trd.1998.45.4.888.

Two Cases of Falciparum Malaria with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

• Park JH
• Shin ES
• Woo JH
• Kim YO
• Bae IG
• Jang JJ
• Chi HS
• Koh YS

• KMID: 2050105
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1998.45.4.888

Abstract

Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. Plasmodium falciparum accounting for nearly all malaria mortality, kills an estimated 1 to 2 million persons yearly and has several features thai make it deadlist of malarias. While cerebral malaria is the most common presentation of severe disease, acute lung injury associated with malaria is uncommon but serious and fatal complication. We report two cases of severe malaria with ARDS and multi-organ failure. All two patients traveled to foreign countries, Kenya, Papua New Guinea where choroquine-resistant malaria is distributed. The first case, which developed cerebral malaria hypoglycemia, multi-organ failure, and ARDS, treated with quinine and mechanical ventilator, but expired due to oxygenation failure. Autopsy showed acute necrotizing infiltration, diffuse eosinophilic fibrinoid deposits along the alveolar space, and alveolar macrophage with malaria pigment The second case also developed multi-organ failure, followed by ARDS, and was treated with quinine, exchange transfusion, plasmapheresis, and mechanical ventilator. He recovered with residual restrictive lung change after treatment.

Keyword

Falciparum malaria; Lung injury; ARDS; Multi-organ failure

MeSH Terms

Acute Disease
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Autopsy
Communicable Diseases
Eosinophils
Humans
Hypoglycemia
Kenya
Lung
Lung Injury
Macrophages, Alveolar
Malaria*
Malaria, Cerebral
Mortality
Oxygen
Papua New Guinea
Plasmapheresis
Plasmodium falciparum
Quinine
Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult*
Ventilators, Mechanical
Oxygen
Quinine