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Pathogenesis of anemia in malaria: a concise review

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Abstract

Anemia is a common complication in malarial infection, although the consequences are more pronounced with Plasmodium falciparum malaria (Ghosh, Indian J Hematol Blood Tranfus 21(53):128–130, 2003). Anemia in this infection is caused by a variety of pathophysiologic mechanisms, and in areas where malaria infection is endemic, co-morbidities like other parasitic infestations, iron, folate and Vitamin B12 deficiency, deficiency of other nutrients, and anemia, which is aggravated by anti-malarial drugs both through immune and non-immune mechanisms, are important considerations. In different endemic areas, β-thalassemia, α-thalassemia, Hb S, Hb E, G6PD deficiency, or ovalocytosis in different proportions interact with this infection. Finally, aberrant immune response to repeated or chronic falciparum malarial infection may produce tropical splenomegaly syndrome, a proportion of which show clonal proliferation of B lymphocytes. Cooperation between chronic malarial infection and infection with E-B virus infection in producing Burkitt’s lymphoma is well known. In this review, the fascinating and multifaceted pathophysiolgoy of malarial anemia has been discussed.

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  1. Institute of Immunohaematology (ICMR), 13th Floor, KEM Hospital Campus, Parel, Mumbai, 400 012, India

    Kanjaksha Ghosh

  2. Department of Medicine, King Edward Memorial Hospital & Seth G.S. Medical College, Parel, Mumbai, 12, India

    Kinjalka Ghosh

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  1. Kanjaksha Ghosh
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  2. Kinjalka Ghosh
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Correspondence to Kanjaksha Ghosh.

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Ghosh, K., Ghosh, K. Pathogenesis of anemia in malaria: a concise review. Parasitol Res 101, 1463–1469 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0742-1

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