Response of plasmodium vivax malaria induced thrombocytopenia to antimalarial treatment.

BACKGROUND Thrombocytopenia is often seen in the patients of malaria infected with Plasmodium vivax. We studied patients admitted in hospital having coexisting thrombocytopenia and malaria, and recorded the response to anti-malarial therapy. METHODS In this cross-sectional descriptive study, a total of 120 patients admitted in medical ward with Plasmodium vivax malaria and co-existing thrombocytopenia were studied. RESULTS Out of total 120 slide positive Malaria patients who had low platelet count (<150x10(9) /L), platelet count increased to ≥150x10(9) /L in 73 (60.8%) patients after five days of anti-malarial therapy while in 47 (39.2%) patients thrombocytopenia persisted. After ten days of anti-malarial therapy, platelet count in all the patients recovered to ≥ 150x10(9) L. None of the patients required platelet transfusion. CONCLUSION In majority of the patients of Plasmodium vivax malaria having thrombocytopenia, platelet count returns to normal within five to ten days of start of anti-malarial treatment and nlatelet transfusion is not required.