Pathogenesis of anemia in malaria: a concise review.
Anemia is a common complication in malarial infection, although the consequences are more pronounced with Plasmodium falciparum malaria (Ghosh, Indian J Hematol Blood Tranfus 21(53):128-130, 2003). Anemia in this infection is caused by a variety of pathophysiologic mechanisms, and in areas where malaria infection is endemic, co-morbidities like other parasitic infestations, iron, folate and Vitamin B12 deficiency, deficiency of other nutrients, and anemia, which is aggravated by anti-malarial drugs both through immune and non-immune mechanisms, are important considerations. In different endemic areas, beta-thalassemia, alpha-thalassemia, Hb S, Hb E, G6PD deficiency, or ovalocytosis in different proportions interact with this infection. Finally, aberrant immune response to repeated or chronic falciparum malarial infection may produce tropical splenomegaly syndrome, a proportion of which show clonal proliferation of B lymphocytes. Cooperation between chronic malarial infection and infection with E-B virus infection in producing Burkitt's lymphoma is well known. In this review, the fascinating and multifaceted pathophysiolgoy of malarial anemia has been discussed.
Ghosh
Kanjaksha
K
Institute of Immunohaematology (ICMR), 13th Floor, KEM Hospital Campus, Parel, Mumbai 400 012, India. kanjakshaghosh@hotmail.com
Ghosh
Kinjalka
K
D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000150:complications* / Q000469:parasitology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum