QUESTION
What are the after effects of malaria?
ANSWER
In almost all cases, if malaria is diagnosed accurately and treated promptly, patients make a full recovery with no after effects. In some cases of severe malaria, the disease can develop into cerebral malaria, which can result in impaired mental function, loss of consciousness and coma (and, if untreated, even death). Again, if treated promptly, these effects should reverse, but in some cases, some neurological damage remains.
Similarly, children who are affected by malaria while still in the womb or during birth (“congenital” malaria) may experience low birth weight or retarded growth, which can have health implications later in life.
My younger brother contracted malaria while serving in Viet Nam. Since he has returned he has had a problem with putting on weight. With-in an hour or two of eating a meal he is in the bathroom getting rid of it. This week he almost passed out and fell. He went to the doctor and was told that it is from the Malaria and that he is basically starving to death. And there was nothing he could do about it. I’ve not found any literature to this side a ffect. What can you tell me about this.
This sounds unlikely – malaria is often associated with anemia, but rarely with wasting or other nutritional deficiencies. Moreover, active cases of malaria are associated with severe symptoms, such as high fever, aches and chills – has your brother experienced anything like this since returning home? Also, has your brother had a blood test? Observing malaria parasites in the blood, or detecting tiny proteins associated with the malaria parasite (these proteins are called antigens) either through a rapid diagnostic test or a molecular test, are the only sure ways of diagnosing malaria. Though I am not a medical doctor, my experience in the tropics make me think that maybe your brother has actually been infected with intestinal parasites of some kind. These can result in rapid weight loss, light-headedness and also diarrhea. Your brother should talk to his doctor about looking for these parasites – there are many different kinds, but they are usually easily diagnosed through a stool sample.