MALARIA IN CHILDREN

<p>This review is focused on childhood specific aspects of malaria, especially in resource-poor settings. We summarise the actual knowledge in the field of epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and prevention.</p><p>These aspects are imp...

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Main Authors: Richard-Fabian Schumacher, Elena Spinelli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PAGEPress Publications 2012-01-01
Series:Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases
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Online Access:http://www.mjhid.org/article/view/10892
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author Richard-Fabian Schumacher
Elena Spinelli
author_facet Richard-Fabian Schumacher
Elena Spinelli
author_sort Richard-Fabian Schumacher
collection DOAJ
description <p>This review is focused on childhood specific aspects of malaria, especially in resource-poor settings. We summarise the actual knowledge in the field of epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and prevention.</p><p>These aspects are important as malaria is responsible for almost a quarter of all child death in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria control is thus one key intervention to reduce childhood mortality, especially as malaria is also an important risk factor for other severe infections, namely bacteraemia.</p><p>In children symptoms are more varied and often mimic other common childhood illness, particularly gastroenteritis, meningitis/encephalitis, or pneumonia. Fever is the key symptom, but the characteristic regular tertian and quartan patterns are rarely observed. There are no pathognomonic features for severe malaria in this age group. The well known clinical (fever, impaired consciousness, seizures, vomiting, respiratory distress) and laboratory (severe anaemia, thrombocytopenia, hypoglycaemia, metabolic acidosis, and hyperlactataemia) features of severe falciparum malaria in children, are equally typical for severe sepsis.</p><p>Appropriate therapy (considering species, resistance patterns and individual patient factors) – possibly a drug combination of an artemisinin derivative with a long-acting antimalarial drug - reduces treatment duration to only three days and should be urgently started.</p><p>While waiting for the results of ongoing vaccine trials, all effort should be made to better implement other malaria-control measures like the use of treated bed-nets and new chemoprophylaxis regimens.</p>
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spelling doaj-art-6375f88d98a643e7b389c9715e8d682f2024-12-02T09:48:19ZengPAGEPress PublicationsMediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases2035-30062012-01-0141e2012073e2012073MALARIA IN CHILDRENRichard-Fabian SchumacherElena Spinelli<p>This review is focused on childhood specific aspects of malaria, especially in resource-poor settings. We summarise the actual knowledge in the field of epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and prevention.</p><p>These aspects are important as malaria is responsible for almost a quarter of all child death in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria control is thus one key intervention to reduce childhood mortality, especially as malaria is also an important risk factor for other severe infections, namely bacteraemia.</p><p>In children symptoms are more varied and often mimic other common childhood illness, particularly gastroenteritis, meningitis/encephalitis, or pneumonia. Fever is the key symptom, but the characteristic regular tertian and quartan patterns are rarely observed. There are no pathognomonic features for severe malaria in this age group. The well known clinical (fever, impaired consciousness, seizures, vomiting, respiratory distress) and laboratory (severe anaemia, thrombocytopenia, hypoglycaemia, metabolic acidosis, and hyperlactataemia) features of severe falciparum malaria in children, are equally typical for severe sepsis.</p><p>Appropriate therapy (considering species, resistance patterns and individual patient factors) – possibly a drug combination of an artemisinin derivative with a long-acting antimalarial drug - reduces treatment duration to only three days and should be urgently started.</p><p>While waiting for the results of ongoing vaccine trials, all effort should be made to better implement other malaria-control measures like the use of treated bed-nets and new chemoprophylaxis regimens.</p>http://www.mjhid.org/article/view/10892Malaria, Children,
spellingShingle Richard-Fabian Schumacher
Elena Spinelli
MALARIA IN CHILDREN
Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases
Malaria, Children,
title MALARIA IN CHILDREN
title_full MALARIA IN CHILDREN
title_fullStr MALARIA IN CHILDREN
title_full_unstemmed MALARIA IN CHILDREN
title_short MALARIA IN CHILDREN
title_sort malaria in children
topic Malaria, Children,
url http://www.mjhid.org/article/view/10892
work_keys_str_mv AT richardfabianschumacher malariainchildren
AT elenaspinelli malariainchildren