Plasmodium falciparum malaria, bilateral sixth cranial nerve palsy and delayed cerebellar ataxia

Autores: Duque Vitor, Seixas Diana, Ventura Conceição, Da Cunha Saraiva, Meliço Silvestre António

Resumen

We describe the case of a 14-year-old Caucasian male, a resident in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who was observed in Portugal with severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria with high-level parasitemia and severe thrombocytopenia. The course was complicated by bilateral sixth cranial nerve palsy during acute malaria, followed by the appearance of delayed cerebellar ataxia during the recovery phase. This occurred after successful treatment with quinine plus doxycycline over seven days. Different levels of thrombocytopenia and C-reactive protein were observed during both neurologic events in the presence of HRP-2 positive tests for Plasmodium falciparum antigen. The patient recovered completely after three months.

Palabras clave: Plasmodium falciparum malaria sixth cranial nerve palsy; delayed cerebellar ataxia.

2012-03-16   |   399 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 6 Núm.3. Marzo 2012 Pags. 290-294 J Infect Developing Countries 2012; 6(3)