title: Imported Malaria over Fifteen Years in an Inner City Teaching Hospital of Washington DC.
abstract: As endemic malaria is not commonly seen in the United States, most of the cases diagnosed and reported are associated with travel to and from the endemic places of malaria. As the number of imported cases of malaria has been increasing since 1973, it is important to look into these cases to study the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease in the United States. In this study, we would like to share our experience in diagnosing and treating these patients at our institution. We did a retrospective chart review of 37 cases with a documented history of imported malaria from 1998 to 2012. Among them, 16 patients had complicated malaria during that study period, with a mean length of hospital stay of 3.5 days. Most common place of travel was Africa, and chemoprophylaxis was taken by only 11% of patients. Travel history plays a critical role in suspecting the diagnosis and in initiating prompt treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Howard University Hospital, Washington DC, USA.
authors.forename: Sri Lakshmi Hyndavi
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Yeruva
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Howard University Hospital, Washington DC, USA.
authors.forename: Archana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Howard University Hospital, Washington DC, USA.
authors.forename: Mariam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarraf-Yazdy
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Howard University Hospital, Washington DC, USA.
authors.forename: Jhansi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gajjala
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa; D000368:Aged; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018890:Chemoprevention / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004219:District of Columbia; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014195:Travel; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials
keywords: Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium vivax; Washington DC; imported malaria; teaching hospital