Can falciparum malaria be relapsed

Yes, unfortunately falsiparum malaria can relapse and cause a recurrence of symptoms.

Falciparum Malaria: It is the most dangerous kind of malaria, where the parasite infects the red blood cells, causes them to sludge, and then form areas of dead tissue (as the parasite cuts off the oxygen supply to the tissues) in the lungs, kidneys, intestinal tract, adrenal glands, liver, brain, and other organs. In fact, historians believe that the downfall of the Roman Empire is connected with falciparum malaria.

Malaria is caused when an infected Anopheles mosquito bites a person and transfers its parasite to him. Symptoms include sweating, chills, fever, and pain. Mild malaria can be treated with oral medicines, but severe cases of malaria need to be treated with intravenous fluids and medicines.

When an infected mosquito bites a person, a parasite called sporozoites enters the blood. These penetrate the liver cells, and reproduce asexually in a process known as schizogony.

Recurrence of Malaria: Yes, malaria can relapse, and these are some of the reasons.

• Lack of effective immune response is one such cause. Generally the immunity weakens in case of malarial infection. Immunity may increase after subsequent malarial attacks.
• Re-infection because of getting bitten repeatedly by infected mosquitoes. Let's say a person who has malaria is treated with medicines and completes his anti-malarial treatment. Then there are chances that he gets bitten by an infected mosquito again because of the lack of care to prevent mosquito bites. This causes a relapse.
• If the anti-malarial treatment is stopped because of some reason like financial constraints, ignorance, or vomiting, then it can cause a relapse in the symptoms. The relapse happens when the hypnozoites in the liver get re-activated. A relapse can happen after 30-180 dys of the first main attack.
• In the case of falciparum malaria, the parasite that causes it can be in the blood for several months or even years. This causes a relapse or can cause a recurrence of the symptoms frequently.

Prevention: Here are some tips to prevent getting bitten by mosquitoes. If you can protect yourself and prevent mosquito bites, you have less chance of contracting malaria and can even prevent a relapse to some extent.

• Use a mosquito net without fail when you sleep at night.
• Make sure that the windows in your house have gauze or netting to stop mosquitoes from flying in. All entry points should have protective netting.
• If there are mosquitoes in the house during the day, spray the room with an insecticide.
• Use mosquito repellants like lotions and creams on the exposed areas of the skin.
• Wear clothes with long sleeves, and keep your legs covered.

answered by G M

Falciparum malaria is known to be one of the most grievous and deadly forms of malaria. In this form of malaria, the red blood corpuscles that have been infected begin t become thick and slimy and form areas of dead tissue groupings in important organs. Dead tissue begins to arise when oxygen supply gets cut off and the cells begin to die in the blood stream. Organs such as lungs, liver, brain, digestive tract, kidneys etc. start getting affected.

The protozoan parasite causing the deadly disease known as Plasmodium falciparum belongs to the species of Plasmodium that induce malaria amongst humans. This parasite is transmitted to humans though the bite of the anopheles mosquito. The malaria arising from this parasite has many complications and has one of the highest mortality rates in the worlds. There are no effective vaccines yet to counter this disease but drugs have proven to control this type of malaria. The falciparum malaria is commonly viewed in hot tropical areas and sub continents. Infections caused due to this disease can be highly fatal if immediate medical attention is not brought to the rescue. There is a possibility of recurrence amongst those who do not possess a strong immune disposition. Although drugs are known to control the ailment, recent reports indicate that in some cases of P. falciparum malaria, the disease has not started to become resistant to chloroquine and other anti-malarial drugs.

answered by C B