Malaria relapse with brain involvement

Abstract

Malaria is an endemic parasitosis in more than 80 countries, with more than 200 million cases recorded in 2020. Recent literature has shown the economic impact and severity of the disease caused by the vivax variant, a species which has been underestimated.

We describe the case of a 19-year-old adult male who was a previously healthy active-duty soldier who had been living in the city of Bogotá for the last six months. He presented with a fourday history of fever coupled with headache, arthralgias and several diarrheal episodes, as well as a three-minute generalized tonic-clonic seizure without sphincter relaxation. He had total amnesia of the event. The only relevant point in the interview was a history of malaria treated seven months
prior to admission, while he was in Amazonas Department. A thick blood smear taken during his stay confirmed the presence of Plasmodium vivax. The patient was treated with intravenous artesunate and diagnosed with cerebral malaria secondary to a relapse.