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Encyclopedia of Malaria pp 1–9Cite as

The Contribution of Postmortem Studies to Understanding the Pathophysiology of Malaria

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Synonyms

Autopsy; Histopathology; Tissue examination

Definition

Postmortem (or autopsy) examination is the systematic macro- and microscopic examination of the human body after death to catalog anatomic findings and determine an immediate cause of death.

Key Principles

  1. 1.

    In malaria-endemic areas, many diseases – related and unrelated to malaria infection – can lead to a clinical death highly suspicious for severe malaria in both adults and children.

  2. 2.

    Postmortem examination of patients who died in malaria-endemic areas was the only method of determining cerebral malaria as a cause of death during the twentieth century.

  3. 3.

    Pediatric patients in highly endemic settings have rapid onset of cerebral malaria and either recover or die with a limited number of anatomic findings, excepting cerebral features.

  4. 4.

    Adult patients in low endemicity areas have a rapid onset and prolonged course with cerebral malaria resulting in evidence of multiorgan failure at autopsy, in addition to cerebral...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Danny A. Milner Jr

Authors
  1. Danny A. Milner Jr
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Danny A. Milner Jr .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Heswall, United Kingdom

    Marcel Hommel

  2. Institut für Tropenmedizin, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Peter G. Kremsner

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Milner Jr, D.A. (2014). The Contribution of Postmortem Studies to Understanding the Pathophysiology of Malaria. In: Hommel, M., Kremsner, P. (eds) Encyclopedia of Malaria. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8757-9_86-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8757-9_86-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-8757-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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