QUESTION
How does the oxygenated blood actually reach the brain???
ANSWER
Two main artery pairs supply the brain with oxygenated blood from the lungs. These are the internal carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries.
One of the major risks of infection with Plasmodium falciparum malaria is that the parasite induces red blood cells to sequester to the sides of small blood vessels in major organs, rather than stay in the peripheral blood system in the limbs. If this happens in the brain, the resultant loss of oxygen supply and other complications leads to cerebral malaria, which is a serious condition and can lead to convulsions, permanent neurological damage and even coma and death. As such, it is crucial to treat all cases of malaria swiftly and effectively, but none so urgently as P. falciparum infections.
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