The anaemia of Plasmodium vivax malaria

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Douglas Nicholas M, Anstey Nicholas M, Buffet Pierre A, Poespoprodjo Jeanne R, Yeo Tsin W, White Nicholas J, Price Ric N
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2012
• Subjects: Plasmodium vivax; Malaria; Anaemia; Epidemiology; Pathogenesis; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-11-135; https://doaj.org/article/c151433d689e45799862e513860dfbc8

Abstract Plasmodium vivax threatens nearly half the world’s population and is a significant impediment to achievement of the millennium development goals. It is an important, but incompletely understood, cause of anaemia. This review synthesizes current evidence on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment and consequences of vivax-associated anaemia. Young children are at high risk of clinically significant and potentially severe vivax-associated anaemia, particularly in countries where transmission is intense and relapses are frequent. Despite reaching lower densities than Plasmodium falciparum , Plasmodium vivax causes similar absolute reduction in red blood cell mass because it results in proportionately greater removal of uninfected red blood cells. Severe vivax anaemia is associated with substantial indirect mortality and morbidity through impaired resilience to co-morbidities, obstetric complications and requirement for blood transfusion. Anaemia can be averted by early and effective anti-malarial treatment.