Is vivax malaria really benign? - a Karachi-based study.

OBJECTIVE To observe the disease pattern of vivax malaria, and to identify the various laboratory abnormalities associated with it. METHODS The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medicine, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi, from July to September 2011. Clinical features and laboratory abnormalities of all patients who tested positive for Plasmodium Vivax mono-infections were collected and analysed to work out the disease pattern. SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS There were 107 patients who tested positive for vivax malaria. The most common clinical feature was fever which was present in all the 107 (100%) patients. Besides, 4 (3.7%) patients had haematemesis and 2 (1.9%) had haematuria. Thrombocytopenia was the commonest laboratory abnormality, found in 66 (61.7%) cases; 47 (43.9%) patients had significant leucopenia; between 2000-4000/cumm. One (0.93%) patient developed adult respiratory distress syndrome and expired. CONCLUSION Atypical presentations with changing phase of severity were observed with plasmodium vivax infection. It can also lead to severe malaria, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality.