What Is Malaria?
6. Complications
The symptoms already mentioned can be uncomfortable for the patient, but are not necessarily dangerous. However, malaria can cause complications that are very dangerous indeed. For example, it can cause hypoglycemia, which is a low level of sugar in the blood. This can also be caused by quinine, which is used to treat malaria.
Other potential complications are anemia, and pulmonary edema, the latter of which makes it difficult to breathe. Cerebral malaria is another potential complication and it causes the blood vessels to the brain to become blocked by parasites. Malaria can also cause organ failure, which can pose a very real and direct threat to the patient’s life.
Advertisement
