A study on the clinical profile of complicated Plasmodium vivax mono-infections

Objective: To identify cases of severe Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) mono-infections among adults. Methods: In this retrospective study, 30 adult patients admitted to medical wards of a tertiary hospital in a malaria endemic urban area from March 2010 to April 2010 were included. The diagnosis of P. vivax malaria was established by peripheral blood film (PBF) examination, and severe malaria was categorized as per World Health Organization guidelines. Results: Complications observed were thrombocytopenia in 28 (93.3%), hepatic dysfunction and jaundice in 13 (43.3%), renal dysfunction in 8 (26.7%), severe anaemia in 3 (10.0%), cerebral malaria in 2 (6.7%), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in 1 (3.3%) of 30 patients. Conclusions: P. vivax malaria with severe complications is common in the investigated area, and an intensive and large scale study of the disease is necessary.