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Severe vivax malaria in the Republic of Korea during the period 2000 to 2016.

Authors :: Park SY
Park YS
Park Y
Kwak YG
Song JE
Lee KS
Cho SH
Lee SE
Shin HI
Yeom JS
Source :: Travel medicine and infectious disease [Travel Med Infect Dis] 2019 Jul - Aug; Vol. 30, pp. 108-113. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 May 01.
Publication Year :: 2019
Abstract: Background: There has been a marked increase in the reporting of confirmed vivax malaria cases in certain geographical areas. This study investigated cases of severe vivax malaria in the Republic of Korea.<br />Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of adult patients diagnosed with vivax malaria in the Republic of Korea during the period 2000 to 2016. Diagnosis was made using the World Health Organization criteria, with the exception of parasite density.<br />Results: Among 1366 malaria cases, 255 (18.7%) were classified as severe vivax malaria, and 46 (3.4%) required intensive care. None of patients died of malaria. Patients with severe vivax malaria were older and had more comorbidity. The enrollment periods were classified into three groups, 2000 to 2005 (506 cases), 2006 to 2010 (696 cases), and 2011 to 2016 (304 cases). Malaria cases decreased from 2011 to 2016, but severe malaria cases increased significantly over time (14.3%, 20.1%, and 22.8%, p = 0.003). Common severe manifestations were shock (45.6%) and jaundice (43.1%).<br />Conclusions: Cases of severe malaria increased, and shock and jaundice were the predominant findings of severe vivax malaria in the Republic of Korea.<br /> (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)