title: [A case of severe falciparum malaria successfully treated with intravenous artesunate and continuous hemodiafiltration].
abstract: We report a 54-year-old Japanese man who contracted severe falciparum malaria after visiting West African countries. The patient presented with Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia of 10% on admission and was successfully treated with intravenous artesunate combined with continuous hemodiafiltration. We found that intravenous artesunate had excellent antimalarial activity with rapid parasite clearance and that few adverse effects were observed compared to those reported for intravenous quinine treatment. Supportive therapy was indispensable for saving the life of the patient. Few cases of intravenous artesunate treatment are reported in Japan because the drug has not been legally registered. We wish to emphasize the efficacy of intravenous artesunate with general supportive therapy in the treatment of possible imported severe malaria patients in Japanese medical settings.
authors.affiliation: Disease Control and Prevention Center, International Medical Center of Japan.
authors.forename: Yasutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Ikumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Genka
authors.forename: Shuzo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanagawa
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawana
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kano
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000077332:Artesunate; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D017583:Hemodiafiltration; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D000077332:Artesunate