Itoda Ichiro, Yasunami Takeshi, Kikuchi Ken, Yamaura Hisashi, Totsuka Kyoichi, Yoshinaga Kentaro, Teramura Masanao, Mizoguchi Hideaki, Hatabu Toshimitsu, Kano Shigeyuki
Department of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo Women's Medical University.
Kansenshogaku Zasshi. 2002 Aug;76(8):600-3. doi: 10.11150/kansenshogakuzasshi1970.76.600.
We report a 68-year-old woman with severe falciparum malaria contracted in Tanzania. She presented high parasitemia and was treated successfully with intravenous artesunate, a qinghaosu derivative, and aggressive supportive therapy. She developed hemolytic anemia and jaundice on day 11 and blood transfusion was required. This case illustrates that intravenous artesunate has excellent antimalarial activity with rapid efficacy and that no severe adverse effect but conventional aggressive supportive therapy is still important in the treatment of severe falciparum malaria.