CONVULSIONS WITH MALARIA - FEBRILE OR INDICATIVE OF CEREBRAL INVOLVEMENT

Evaluation of 446 infants and young children (6 months to 5 years olds ) with malaria parasitaemia showed a significant relationship (P < 0.0 5-< 0.001) (a) between coma and age, pattern of convulsions, haematocr it, and blood glucose, and (b) between the severity of parasitaemia an d risk of convulsions, prevalence of hepatosplenomegaly, and severe an aemia. No significant relationship was observed between convulsions an d temperature or haematocrit. Comatose children were older and had a h igher prevalence of repeated convulsions, severe anaemia, and hypoglyc aemia than non-comatose children. Convulsions, hepatosplenomegaly, and severe anaemia were more prevalent in children with moderate-severe p arasitaemia. It is concluded that convulsions with malaria are more of ten a manifestation of cerebral dysfunction rather than being simply f ebrile in nature. All forms of cerebral dysfunction in malaria, includ ing repeated convulsions, should be managed as being clinical manifest ations of cerebral malaria.