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 … [Read more...]
Pathophysiology of Malaria
QUESTION What is the pathophysiology of malaria? ANSWER Malaria causes disease through a number of pathways, which depend to a certain extent on the species. Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium; there are five species which infect humans, being Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi. All these species are introduced into … [Read more...]
Why do people die of malaria?
QUESTION: Why is it that people die of malaria? ANSWER: The symptoms of malaria are caused by the malaria parasite reproducing inside the patient's red blood cells and eventually destroying them. In this process, the malaria parasites also produce toxic waste chemicals and debris which build up in the patient's blood stream. The body produces a strong immune response as a reaction to … [Read more...]
Can malaria cause kidney failure?
QUESTION: Can malaria be a cause for kidney failure or brain fever? ANSWER: Malaria, and specifically Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the most severe and deadly form of the disease, can certainly cause both renal failure and brain fever. It usually does this by infecting red blood cells, which then become blocked in tiny blood vessels deep within organs. This process is called … [Read more...]
Malaria Treatment
QUESTION: What is the proper treatment for people with malaria symptoms? ANSWER: The proper treatment for malaria depends on the type of malaria parasite that the patient is infected with. Therefore, before treatment begins, the patient should be accurately diagnosed. In most cases of non-Plasmodium falciparum malaria (the most deadly form of malaria, found throughout the world but … [Read more...]