DEVELOPMENT OF HYPERREACTIVE MALARIOUS SPLENOMEGALY IN AN 8-YEAR-OLD CAUCASIAN BOY, 18 MONTHS AFTER RESIDENCE IN AFRICA

Hyperreactive malarial splenomegaly (the former tropical splenomegaly syndrome) refers to a combination of splenomegaly, high antimalarial a ntibodies and high serum IgM content, a condition resulting from an ab errant immunological response to malaria. It has rarely been described in expatriates. We report the case of an 8 year-old Dutch boy who dev eloped this syndrome 18 months after returning from Zaire. Treatment w ith mefloquine resulted in gradual improvement of all laboratory abnor malities. The spleen did not decrease in size, but became normal for a ge as height increased.