Case of malaria parasite 'sleeping' for 20 years in the liver appears

Before being admitted to the hospital, the patient had a high fever of 39 - 40 degrees Celsius for 5 days, with chills, headache, fatigue, poor appetite, abdominal distension, enlarged liver, increasingly obvious jaundice, and little and dark urine.

Patient treated for malaria relapses due to parasites “sleeping” for 20 years in the liver

At the local medical facility, doctors examined and discovered the Plasmodium vivax parasite that causes malaria. Due to severe progression, the patient was transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in a state of respiratory failure, liver failure and severe hemolysis.

According to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the patient had no history of liver disease, but severe malaria had caused severe liver dysfunction. Due to the nature of his job, the patient frequently traveled and worked in many localities and had unexplained fevers, having contracted Plasmodium vivax malaria in the Central Highlands in 2002 and malaria in Hoa Binh in 2003.

Treating the patient, Dr. Truong Tu The Bao, Emergency Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said the patient was diagnosed with malignant malaria, severe anemia and acute liver failure. The severe hemolysis caused the patient to have difficulty breathing and respiratory failure. The patient was treated with specific drugs and blood transfusion.

"The patient's case is an important warning about the risk of recurrence of Plasmodium vivax malaria after many years. This is a typical case showing the danger of the Plasmodium vivax malaria parasite. It has the ability to "sleep" in the liver and recur when conditions are favorable. Therefore, people who have had malaria, especially when living or working in high-risk areas, should not be subjective," Dr. Truong Tu The Bao noted.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xuat-hien-ca-benh-do-ky-sinh-trung-sot-ret-ngu-20-nam-trong-gan-185241001152403275.htm