Pulmonary Complication in Severe Malaria
Forman Erwin Siagian *
Department of Parasitology and The Centre of Biomedic Research, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Kristen Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Malaria is a potentially fatal disease caused by Plasmodium spp. Transmission occurs via the bite of female mosquito, Anopheles spp. Epidemiologically, global number of malaria patient are located in Southeast Asia and Africa. Until nowadays, millions of people still living in endemic area, with children and pregnant women are among the most vulnerable group in the population. Although there have been many advances in treatment and management, but the potential for harm remains; one of the example is lung involvement in patients with severe malaria. This paper aim to discuss briefly about lung derangement in the severe malaria and the inflammatory response related to the lung dysfunction. The severity of pulmonary impairment due to complications of malaria is determined not only by the initiation of antimalarial treatment but also by the hosts associated immune response.
Keywords: Blood protozoan, obligate intracellular, complication, ARDS, pulmonary vascular occlusion, inflammation