Malaria

-

Malaria is caused by malarial parasite Plasmodium. There are four varieties of Plasmodium. Out of which Plasmodium Vivax is most common and Plasmodium Falciparum, is the one with most complications. The Plasmodium species are found in blood of mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites the child, plasmodium enters into the blood stream of the child. They enter the red blood cells where they multiply. The onset is with fever generally high grade accompanied by shivering. It is common in endemic areas like Africa, South Asia and South East Asia. The onset is generally sudden but can be chronic. There is associated headache, vomiting and muscle pain. Seating is common. The malarial parasite resides in the spleen. In cases of chronic malaria, the spleen is enlarged. The plasmodia break up the red blood cells and the child is anaemic.




Complications include cerebral malaria whereby the brain is affected, there is brain edema and the patient is unconscious. There may be liver failure with jaundice.  There may be sudden shock and low blood pressure.  The patient may pass red coloured urine with kidney failure. Black Water fever. In some cases, death may occur. According to Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla-A Child Specialist in Karachi, treatment is given i.e. anti malarials. In acute cases oral anti malarias suffice is given, but in complicated cases intravenous anti malarials need to be given. To eradicate the organism, prophylactic anti malarials should be given for 6-8 weeks.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Q/A session with Dr Mubina Agboatwalla

-
Image
  Q. Do children develop kidney stones ? If yes then what are the symptoms and how can they be treated. A. Yes children as young as one year can develop kidney stones. Generally the stones are small and are found either in the renal pelvis or ureter. As they move down the ureter they can cause severe shooting pain in the back or in the flanks. This generally occurs when the child does not drink enough water. Atleast 8 glasses of water should be taken. Renal colic happens specially in the summer months. The urine may contain small quantities of red blood cells. It may or may not be accompanied by a urine infection. The pain is extremely severe and a shooting type of pain. There may be associated vomiting. Plenty of water should be given to flush out the stones. In rare cases laser surgery can be done. Website - https://www.drmubinaagboatwalla.com/
Read more

Cough

-
Image
Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla- a child specialist in Karachi Cough is a condition very common in children. Parents often complain of their children having different types of cough. Cough is reflex action with the body trying to get rid of the secretions in the bronchi or irritation due to allergies. Cough can be of different types. It can be productive with sputum, which can be white or yellow in colour or sometimes even green. This is secondary to infection. The lungs produce mucus which the body tries to get rid of by coughing. Sometimes, there is throat infection and irritation of the throat. The child tries to get rid of the secretions and clears the throat in the form of a cough. Flu or nasal irritation can cause a post nasal drip and again the child coughs. Allergies cause a dry cough. They cause the bronchioles to get constricted, and this irritating cough occurs all the time but specially at night. The bronchspasm in frank asthma can cause continuous bouts of coughing.
Read more

Pott’s Disease

-
Image
Pott’s Disease is tuberculosis of the spine. It spreads from the lungs to the spine. The disease spreads via the blood to the vertebrae and then the adjoining intervertebral space. The thoracic region is mostly affected. The area around the vertebrae develops a cold abcess or swelling. The disc dies and the two vertebrae collapse over the intervertebral space. The spinal cord is damaged. Initially, there is fever, night sweats and weight loss.  There is associated back pain. According to DrMubina – A Child Specialist in Karachi , gradually the spine starts getting stiff. This is also known as vertebral spondylitis. The nerves start getting damaged and there is weakness in the legs. In severe cases, there is complete paralysis. There is kyphosis of the vertebral column. The child assumes a stiff position. The X Ray shows collapse of the vertebrae – Fish bone appearance of the vertebrae . The spine presents a bamboo like appearance of the spine. Management comprises of or
Read more