Malaria and the lung

Abstract

Pulmonary edema that results from increased pulmonary capillary permeability is the most important pulmonary manifestation of malaria. It is a common feature of severe malaria but also occurs rarely in milder disease. Mortality rate is high. The pathophysiologic basis is unclear. In the field, there is much clinical overlap between malaria and pneumonia in children. For physicians in nonmalarial areas, malaria always should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a sick patient who has traveled to a malaria-endemic area. More research is needed to better define and tailor treatments for malarial and nonmalarial ALI and ARDS.