Danger signs in the malaria patient

• Published in: Biomédica Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 320 - 329
• Main Author: Tobón, Alberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Colombia 01-06-2009
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Dehydration - etiology; Diarrhea - etiology; Female; Fever - etiology; Hematuria - etiology; Hemorrhage - etiology; Humans; Infant; Jaundice - etiology; Malaria, Falciparum - blood; Malaria, Falciparum - complications; Malaria, Falciparum - parasitology; Malaria, Falciparum - urine; Malaria, Vivax - blood; Malaria, Vivax - complications; Malaria, Vivax - parasitology; Malaria, Vivax - urine; Nervous System Diseases - etiology; Pallor - etiology; Parasitemia - parasitology; Plasmodium falciparum - growth & development; Plasmodium falciparum - isolation & purification; Plasmodium vivax - isolation & purification; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - parasitology; Respiration Disorders - etiology; Vomiting - etiology
• ISSN: 0120-4157
• DOI: 10.7705/biomedica.v29i2.33

Danger signs are clinical indicators of severity and are useful to predict complications or death. In the malaria patient, clinical or parasitological signs can be easily be recognized during the acute phase of the illness that indicate serious complications. Danger signs include neurological change, abnormal breathing pattern, persistent vomiting and diarrhea, jaundice, bleeding, dark urine, delayed capillary refill, intense pallor, hyperpyrexia, hyperparasitemia and schizontemia. Timely recognition of these signs can lead to a decrease in cases with complications and deaths.