Tariq Waseem, Tanzeem Haider Raza, Naveed Bari Bhatti, Abdul Hafiz Khan.
Cerebral Malaria - clinical presentations in adults at Mayo Hospital, Lahore Pakistan.
Biomedica Jan ;12(2):43-5.

Clinical presentation in cerebral malaria mimics many neurological conditions therefore a misdiagnosis is likely. Early recognition and diagnosis of cerebral malaria is rewarding. We report our experience in sixty (60) adult patients diagnosed as cerebral malaria in our unit from 1992 1996. Their presenting symptoms, physical signs, laboratory features, mortality and factors affecting the mortality are discussed. Coma and tonic clonic fits were most common presenting symptoms (50%). Severe anaemia (5%) and hypoglycaemia (7%) were less frequent. Heavy parasitaemia was seen in 12% of patients. Mortality was 15%. Longer duration of coma before attending the hospital and heavy parasitaemia were factors more common in patients who died. We conclude that in patients presenting with fever and altered conscious level, cerebral malaria should always be considered and actively ruled out and physicians attending the patients should be familiar with the clinical picture as the condition is not uncommon in adults.

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