Prevalence of hypoglycaemia in untreated patients with falciparum malaria

ABSTRACT

Two hundred and four consecutive patients with P. falciparum malaria who attended Tharrawaddy Civil Hospital during 1990 and 1991 malaria seasons were studied. The factors such as age group, sex, parasite density, body temperature, presence of pregnancy and clinical categories of the patients were related to the plasma glucose level of the patients, 180 plasm samples from the patient's attendants and 54 plasma samples from patients with P. vivax malaria who attended to the same hospital were also included in the study as controls. High percentage of patients with hypoglycaemia (< 40 mg/dl) was present in patients with cerebral malaria, patients with high parasite density and women with pregnancy. But there was no significant difference between these groups of patients and controls. Hypoglycaemia in falciparum malaria may be multi-factorial and not due to single cause.