What Body Systems are Affected by Malaria?

Question:

What tissues,organs and/or body systems are affected by malaria?

Answer:

The malaria parasite is transmitted through blood and has an immediate effect on red blood cells. The most common symptoms of malaria including fever, are caused when the parasites invade red blood cells (erythrocytes) and rupture.  However, there are five species of the Plasmodium parasite that cause malaria in humans, each provoking somewhat different effects and symptoms. The most serious is Plasmodium falciparum. When P.falciparum infects red blood cells, it makes them stick to the walls of tiny blood vessels deep within major organs, and can have damaging effects on kidneys, lungs, heart and brain (severe cases cause cerebral malaria). Read more about this in a recent response on malaria.com: Pathophysiology of Malaria.