Two Cases of Vivax Malaria Accompanied by Splenic Complications (such as splenic rupture and splenic infarction)

Eun Jung Jung; Eun Ju Choo; Tae Hyong Kim; Min Hyok Jeon; Eun Jeung Lee; Young Sin Cho; Ho Young Lee; Ji Yon Kim

doi:10.3947/ic.2008.40.3.179

Journal List > Infect Chemother > v.40(3) > 1075402

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Jung, Choo, Kim, Jeon, Lee, Cho, Lee, and Kim: Two Cases of Vivax Malaria Accompanied by Splenic Complications (such as splenic rupture and splenic infarction)

Case Report

Infection and Chemotherapy

Infection and Chemotherapy 2008; 40(3): 179-183.

Published online: 20 June 2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2008.40.3.179

Two Cases of Vivax Malaria Accompanied by Splenic Complications (such as splenic rupture and splenic infarction)

Eun Jung Jung, M.D., Eun Ju Choo, M.D., Tae Hyong Kim, M.D.

, Min Hyok Jeon, M.D., Eun Jeung Lee, M.D., Young Sin Cho, M.D., Ho Young Lee, M.D., Ji Yon Kim, M.D.

Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, SoonChunHyang University, Seoul, Korea.

Correspondence: Eun Ju Choo, M.D. Department of Internal Medicine, Soon Chun Hyang University Bucheon Hospital, 1174 Jung-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 420-767, Korea. Tel: +82-32-621-5202, Fax: +82-32-621-5016, mdchoo@schbc.ac.kr

Received 20 December 2007 Accepted 3 April 2008

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Malaria is a protozoan disease transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Since Plasmodium vivax malaria reemerged in the north west areas of South Korea in 1993, many cases with various manifestations have been reported. Clinicians should be aware of the rare and severe complications as well as the common complications. Splenic complications such as hematoma formation, rupture, torsion, cyst formation, and infarction are unusual manifestations of tertian malaria; therefore, we present two cases of P. vivax malaria with severe splenic complications with review of literature. One had a splenic infarction and the other had a splenic rupture, which was diagnosed by computed tomography. Both patients were successfully treated with a conservative approach.

Keywords: Plasmodium vivax, Splenic infarction, Splenic rupture

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Abdominal CT on (A) day 3 and (B) day 9. Note the multiple areas of low attenuation density in the enlarged spleen (arrow) (A). The lesion and splenomegaly showed a partial (white arrow) or complete (black arrow) resolution (B).

Fig. 2

Abdominal CT showed the fluid/blood around enlarged spleen (A) and in left paracolic gutter (B) (arrow). Follow-up CT acquired 7 days after the initial CT demonstrates a partial improvement (C), (D).

Table 1

Reported Cases of Splenic Complications of P.vivax Malaria in Korea

^*CBC, WBC (/mm³) - Hemoglobin (g/dL) - Platelet (/mm³)

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ORCID iDs: Tae Hyong Kim
https://orcid.org/http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2920-9038
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