Confusions and dilemma around hepatic dysfunction associated falciparum malaria: A case report and brief review of the literature

Abstract

Malaria remains a big burden in East Indonesia. Severe malaria assaults children in endemic area and leads to enormous morbidities and mortalities. According to the World Health Organization's criteria, recognition of one or more of the following clinical features should raise the suspicion of severe malaria i.e, cerebral malaria (unrousable coma), severe anemia (hemoglobin 3 mg/dl), pulmonary edema or adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), hypoglycemia (glucose 5% of the erythrocytes infested by parasites), or jaundice (bilirubin> 3 mg/dl).l-3 Jaundice in malaria due to hepatic dysfunction is a classical case, nevertheless, there are some confusions and dilemmas in managing it.1 We report a case with jaundice due to hepatic dysfunction and hemolysis associated falciparum malaria that we treated in General Hospital of Fakfak, West Papua, and provide a brief literature review on the matter.

Keywords

• hepatic dysfunction
• falciparum malaria