Severe Plasmodium vivax Malaria: A Report on Serial Cases from Bikaner in Northwestern India

Epidemiologic studies and clinical description of severe Plasmodium vivax malaria in adults living in malaria-endemic areas are rare and more attention is needed to understand the dynamics and its interaction with the immune system. This observational study included 1,091 adult patients admitted to medical wards of S. P. Medical College and associated group of hospitals in Bikaner, India from September 2003 through December 2005. The diagnosis of P. vivax malaria was established by peripheral blood film (PBF), rapid diagnostic test (RDT), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and severe malaria was categorized as per World Health Organization guidelines. Of 1,091 patients with malaria, 635 had P. falciparum malaria and 456 had P. vivax malaria. Among patients with severe manifestations, 40 had evidence of monoinfection of P. vivax malaria diagnosed by PBF, RDT, and PCR. Complications observed were hepatic dysfunction and jaundice in 23 (57.5%) patients, renal failure in 18 (45%) patients, severe anemia in 13 (32.5%) patients, cerebral malaria in 5 patients (12.5%), acute respiratory distress syndrome in 4 patients (10%), shock in 3 patients (7.5%), and hypoglycemia in 1 (2.5%) patient. Thrombocytopenia was observed in 5 (12.5%) patients, and multi-organ dysfunction was detected in 19 (47.5%) patients. Further large-scale multicentric epidemiologic studies are needed to define the basic pathology of this less known entity.