Physiopathology of Malaria-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Abstract

Malaria is a major global health problem, affecting mainly tropical and subtropical areas. In Brazil, in most cases, it was caused by Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum, respectively. Malaria can lead to severe complications like severe anemia, placental malaria, cerebral malaria and others. When associated with lung, severe malaria can cause Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The main problems of this syndrome are the presence of inflammatory infiltrate, hemorrhages and edema. It is not known what starts the development of malariaassociated ARDS, but it could be related to adhesion molecules expressed by the parasite on the surface of the erythrocyte membrane, or with the inflammatory responses of the host. However, latest researches show new mechanisms involving neutrophils are the key to the establishment of this syndrome.