MALARIA - CAUSES , SYMPTOMES , AND TREATMENT

 

😖MALARIA😖

                          by DEEPAK SHUKLA

So lets start our topic......

Table of content -

1. Introduction-
2. what is malaria disease-
3. causes of malaria-
4. symptomes of malaria-
5. diagnosis of malaria-
6. treatment of malaria-
7. treatment of malaria by home remedies-
8. what to eat or avoid in malaria-
9. ending-

INTRODUCTION

Hello , my dear friend today I m going to introduce about new disease called malaria . so before start our today topic , firstly we discuss the brief meaning of disease . Disease, any harmful deviation from the normal structural or functional state of an organism, generally associated with certain signs and symptoms and differing in nature from physical injury. A diseased organism commonly exhibits signs or symptoms indicative of its abnormal state. Thus, the normal condition of an organism must be understood in order to recognize the hallmarks of disease. Nevertheless, a sharp demarcation between disease and health is not always apparent.

WHAT IS A MALARIA DISEASE?

Malaria is a life threatening mosquito-borne blood disease. The Anopheles mosquito transmits a parasite known as plasmodium to humans. These parasites cause malaria symptoms, including fever, chills, and headaches.

CAUSES OF MALARIA?

You get malaria when a mosquito infected with parasites bites you and transfers the parasite to you. You can't get malaria just by being near a person who has the disease.

Malaria is spread when an infected Anopheles mosquito bites a person. This is the only type of mosquito that can spread malaria. The mosquito becomes infected by biting an infected person and drawing blood that contains the parasite. When that mosquito bites another person, that person becomes infected.

 SYMPTOMES OF MALARIA?

Malaria is a disease that typically features a fever, chills, and headaches. It can progress to cause severe or life threatening complications.

How it affects people can vary widely. Some people have mild or no symptoms, but others can become severely ill.

Doctors divide malaria symptoms into two categories Trusted Source: uncomplicated or severe malaria.

Uncomplicated malaria

Uncomplicated malaria refers to when a person has symptoms but no sign of severe infection or dysfunction of the vital organs. However, without treatment, or if a person has low immunity, it can progress to severe malaria.

Symptoms can resemble those of flu and can typically last 6–10 hours Trusted Source and recur every second day. However, some strains of the parasite can have a longer cycle or cause mixed symptoms.

Overall symptoms include:

• fever and chills
• sweating
• headaches
• nausea and vomiting
• body aches
• weakness
• an enlarged liver
• mild jaundice, which can cause the eyes to appear yellow
• a higher breathing rate
• a general feeling of being unwell

In areas where malaria is uncommon, a doctor may diagnose flu instead of malaria. If a person has recently visited an area where the disease is present and develops these symptoms, they should discuss their visit with their doctor.

Fever cycle

The classic fever cycle of malaria usually lasts 6–10 hours and recurs every second day.

It involves:

• chills and shivering
• fever, headaches, and vomiting, possibly with seizures in young children
• a sweating stage
• a return to usual temperatures that accompanies fatigue

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that this is rare. With some types of Plasmodium, attacks may occur every third day.

Severe malaria

In some cases, malaria can progress and affect vital body organs. At this point, malaria parasites have affected over 5% of the red blood cells.

Symptoms include:

• severe anemia
• blood in the urine
• changes in blood clotting
• impaired consciousness
• changes in behavior
• high acidity in the blood and body fluids
• seizures
• coma

Severe malaria is a life threatening medical emergency.

Complications

Possible complications of malaria include:

• liver failure, which can lead to jaundice
• kidney failure
• unusually low blood glucose
• swelling and rupturing of the spleen
• shock, which includes a sudden fall in blood pressure
• pulmonary edema, where fluid builds up on the lungs
• acute respiratory distress syndrome, which affects breathing
• dehydration

Malaria relapses

With some types of Plasmodium, malaria can disappear but return months or years later. This occurs because the parasites have dormant stages, during which there is no disease activity. However, symptoms can occur if they reactivate.

Treatment, which a person should undergo after their first episode, is available and can help prevent relapses.

Diagnosis of malaria

 

The doctor will ask you questions about your health and do a physical exam. If the doctor thinks you may have malaria, he or she will use a blood smear to check for the disease. During this test, a sample of blood is placed on a glass slide, prepared, and looked at under a microscope.

A blood smear test can help diagnose malaria. It can also help a doctor see what type of malaria parasite you have and how many parasites are in your blood. This can help with decisions about treatment.

If the first blood smear doesn't show malaria, your doctor may order more tests every 12 to 24 hours.

A blood test that can diagnose malaria quickly is also available. If this rapid test points to malaria, the results are usually confirmed with a blood smear.

If you've been in an area where malaria occurs and you get a fever up to a year after you return, your doctor may test you for malaria. If the tests don't show malaria, you may need more tests to make sure that you don't have a malaria infection. During treatment, tests are repeated to follow the course of the infection and to see if the treatment is working.

Other tests

Other useful tests that may be done include:

·                     Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This test detects parasite nucleic acids and identifies the species of malaria parasite.

·                     Complete blood count (CBC). This checks for anemia or evidence of other possible infections. Anemia sometimes develops in people with malaria, because the parasites damage red blood cells.

·                     A blood glucose test. This measures the amount of a type of sugar, called glucose, in your blood.

 TREATMENT OF MALARIA?

The treatment your doctor recommends will depend on things like:

• The type of parasite you have
• How bad your symptoms are
• The geographic area where you got infected
• Your age 
• Whether you’re pregnant

Medications doctors use to treat malaria include:

• Chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine. Your doctor may recommend one of these drugs if your symptoms aren’t serious and you’re in an area where the parasite hasn’t become resistant to chloroquine. 
• Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). This combines two medicines that work in different ways. They’re used to treat milder cases of malaria or as part of a treatment plan for more serious cases. 
• Atovaquone-proguanil, artemether-lumefantrine. These combinations are other options in areas where the parasite has become resistant to chloroquine. They also can be given to children.
• Mefloquine. This medication is another option if chloroquine can’t be used, but it’s been linked to rare but serious side effects related to your brain and is only used as a last resort.
• Artesunate. If your symptoms are severe, your doctor may recommend this drug as treatment for the first 24 hours, then follow it with 3 days of artemisinin-based combination therapy. 

Some parasites that cause malaria have become resistant to almost all the medicines used to treat the illness, so researchers are always looking for new drugs that work.

TREATMENT OF MALARIA BY HOME REMEDIES?

1. Apple Cider Vinegar For Malaria

You Will Need

·         1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

·         2-3 glasses water

·         2 soft cloths or tea towels

What You Have To Do

1.      Dilute the ACV with water and soak the cloth pieces in it.

2.     Place these on the calves for 10-12 minutes.

How Often You Should Do This

Do this during the fever stage of the malaria attack.

Why This Works

This a folk remedy that is known to reduce fever (6).

 

 

2. Ginger

You Will Need

·         1-inch piece of ginger

·         1-1 1/2 cups of water

What You Have To Do

1.      Chop the ginger and boil the pieces in water for a few minutes.

2.     Strain and drink this decoction once it cools down a little. You can add some honey for taste.

How Often You Should Do This

Drink 1-2 cups of this every day.

Why This Works

The active constituents of ginger, like gingerol, possess antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. This remedy can give you relief from the pains as well as nausea as ginger aids digestion (7).

 

 

3. Cinnamon

You Will Need

·         1 teaspoon coarse cinnamon powder

·         A pinch of pepper powder

·         1 teaspoon honey

·         A glass of water

What You Have To Do

1.      Boil the cinnamon powder and pepper powder in water for a few minutes.

2.     Strain and add honey to it.

3.     Mix well and drink this.

How Often You Should Do This

Consume this once or twice a day.

Why This Works

Cinnamon is also an effective home remedy to treat malaria symptoms. The cinnamaldehyde, procyanidins, and catechins present in cinnamon have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties (8).

4. Fever Nut

You Will Need

·         3 gms fever nut seeds

·         A cup of water

What You Have To Do

These seeds should be ingested with water two hours before the expected onset of fever and one hour after it.

How Often You Should Do This

Repeat this before and after every malarial attack.

Why This Works

The seeds of the fever nut plant are considered an effective remedy for malaria. This is a rare plant, but it can be obtained from any herbal store and preserved for use. This will prevent the paroxysm of fever, but if it occurs, the same procedure can be repeated to cut short the duration of fever. It has antimalarial and anti-inflammatory properties (9).

 

5. Orange Juice

You Will Need

Orange juice

What You Have To Do

Drink orange juice in between meals.

How Often You Should Do This

Have 2-3 glasses of fresh juice every day.

Why This Works

With its roots in naturopathy medicine, this remedy might be effective in reducing the fever because of the high vitamin C content of oranges (10). Vitamin C boosts the immune system (11).

 

6. Grapefruit

You Will Need

·         1/4 grapefruit

·         Water

What You Have To Do

1.      Boil the grapefruit.

2.     Strain the pulp and drink it.

How Often You Should Do This

Have this every day.

Why This Works

Raw grapefruit or grapefruit juice is quite effective in controlling the intensity of malarial infection. It contains a natural quinine-like substance that can alleviate malarial symptoms (12).

Caution

If quinidine is a part of the prescribed medicines you are taking, do not drink grapefruit juice. This fruit alters certain enzymes in your stomach, reducing the absorption capacity of quinidine.

 

7. Citrus Limetta Fruit

You Will Need

Citrus limetta (Sweet lime)

What You Have To Do

Extract fresh juice from the fruit and drink it.

How Often You Should Do This

Drink two glasses of sweet lime juice every day.

Why This Works

Known as mosambi in the Indian subcontinent, sweet lime is part of the citrus fruits family. Apart from the obvious vitamin C content, sweet lime is easily digestible for a malaria patient (13).

 

 

8. Holy Basil

You Will Need

·         12-15 holy basil leaves

·         1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

What You Have To Do

1.      Crush the leaves and press them on a sieve to separate the juice.

2.      To this juice, add the black pepper and mix well.

3.     Ingest this concoction.

How Often You Should Do This

Drink this juice thrice a day, especially during the initial stages of the disease.

Why This Works

Holy basil leaves are regarded as a herbal remedy for various diseases, and malaria is one of them. This plant is known as the ‘queen of herbs’. Its leaves promote healthy functioning of the body. It has antimalarial effects when ingested regularly during the infection. It also gives relief from other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever (14)

 

 

9. Alum

You Will Need

An inch-sized piece of alum

What You Have To Do

1.      Roast the alum on a hot plate and powder it.

2.     Take half a teaspoon of this before the expected attack.

3.     Take half a teaspoon every two hours after the attack.

How Often You Should Do This

Do this before and after every malarial attack for immediate relief from the symptoms.

Why This Works

Alum is also quite useful in treating malaria as it is antimicrobial in nature (15).

 

 

10. Herbal Teas

You Will Need

·         1 green tea bag

·         A small piece of tamarind

·         A cup of hot water

What You Have To Do

1.      Soak the green tea bag and the tamarind in hot water for a few minutes.

2.     Remove the tea bag. Strain the herbal tea prepared and drink it.

How Often You Should Do This

Have two cups of this herbal tea every day.

Why This Works

The antioxidants in green tea strengthen your immune system while the tamarind helps reduce the fever (16, 17).

 

 

11. Chirayta

You Will Need

·         15 gms chirayta herb (or chirata)

·         250 ml hot water

·         2 cloves

·         1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

What You Have To Do

1.      Prepare an infusion by steeping the herb in hot water along with the cloves and cinnamon powder. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes.

2.     Strain the liquid and drink three tablespoons of this.

How Often You Should Do This

Repeat this 4-5 times in a day.

Why This Works

Chirayta, botanically known as Swertia andrographis paniculata, is another herb that is known for its health benefits. It is quite effective in treating intermittent malarial fevers. This will significantly lower the body temperature (18).

12. Datura

You Will Need

·         2-3 freshly sprouted Datura leaves

·         1/2 teaspoon jaggery

What You Have To Do

1.      Take the leaves and make them into a pill by rubbing them with jaggery.

2.     This should be taken two hours before the onset of the malarial attack.

How Often You Should Do This

Ingest this on a daily basis.

Why This Works

Datura is an Indian herb that is beneficial in treating malaria. The leaves of this plant are useful in the treatment of tertian type of malaria fever (19).

 

 

 

13. Fenugreek Seeds

You Will Need

·         5 gms fenugreek seeds

·         A glass of water

What You Have To Do

Soak the seeds in water overnight and drink this water in the morning on an empty stomach.

How Often You Should Do This

Do this every day until the malarial infection goes away completely.

Why This Works

Malaria patients often feel weak due to intermittent fever. Fenugreek seeds are the best natural remedy to combat this weakness. They help in quick recovery from malaria by boosting your immune system and fighting the parasites (20). Thus, it is recommended that malarial patients increase their consumption of fenugreek seeds.

 

 

14. Mustard Seed Oil

 

Mustard oil, especially from the black mustard seeds, has been shown to possess antimalarial activity in lab experiments (21). Incorporating it in your daily diet by using it as a cooking oil or adding a teaspoon of it to a smoothie can help your body fight the infection better. This oil can act as a wonderful supplement to the malaria medicines that have been prescribed by your doctor.

 

 

15. Turmeric

You Will Need

·         1 teaspoon turmeric powder

·         A glass of warm milk

What You Have To Do

1.      Add the turmeric to the milk and mix well.

2.     Have this before going to bed.

How Often You Should Do This

Drink this every night.

Why This Works

Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. It cleanses the body of the toxins that are building up because of the Plasmodium infection and also helps to kill the parasite. Turmeric also has anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate malaria symptoms like muscles aches and joint pain (22, 23).

It is very important to understand that none of these remedies will eliminate the parasite from your body. The medicines prescribed by your doctor are necessary to do that. However, these remedies can alleviate the symptoms, giving relief from the fever, pains, and aches, and aid the parasite-killing process of the medicines.

what to eat or avoid in malaria

Eat Nutritious Foods

When the patient has a malarial fever, the body’s calorie and nutritional requirement increases. This is known as the BMR or Body Metabolic Rate. Also, the need to increase calorie intake depends on the rise in body temperature.

Consume a high carbohydrate diet. Choose rice over wheat and millets. Rice can be digested easily and can release energy faster. Fresh fruits and vegetables work wonders for malaria patients. According to studies, vitamin A and vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables like beetroot, carrot, papaya, sweet lime, grapes, berries, lemon, orange help to detoxify and boost the immunity of the patient suffering from malaria.

 

Go ‘Nuts’ over ‘Seeds’

When you have malaria you need to incorporate more phytonutrients into your diet that help to tackle antioxidative stress caused by an infection. Nuts and seeds are powerhouses of phytonutrients as well as healthy fats and proteins. When you feel like munching on something in between your meals and are wondering what to eat during malaria, nuts and seeds are always the best options as processed foods are completely out of your reach at this point in time.

Increase Fluid Intake

Unfortunately, at the time of fever, one experiences appetite loss, less tolerance and therefore, eating food becomes a challenge. To compensate for such a situation, one must drink glucose water, fresh fruit juices, coconut water, a sorbet made with lemon, salt, sugar and water and electoral water.

While drinking water, make sure it is boiled or sterilized. Take in fluids in every way possible- milkshakes, juices of fruits and vegetables, rice water, pulse water, stew, soup, etc. Doctors recommend a daily fluid intake of at least 3 to 3.5 litres, if not more. Fluids will help in washing out the toxins from the body via urine and stools and help you get well sooner.

Ajwain water is a wonder drink that you should add to your diet when you are suffering from malaria. Ajwain being a carminative (flatulence relieving property reflecting of drugs), reduces bloating and gas and works to keep your digestive system healthy.

 

Increase Protein Intake

There is an increase in the requirement of protein as one loose a lot of tissue. A diet of high carbohydrate and high protein is helpful as the body can utilise the protein for anabolic and tissue repair and building process. Eating curd, lassi and buttermilk is highly beneficial.

High temperature makes the body weak and reduces appetite. Food rich in protein helps to synthesize immune bodies, which can help to fight parasites. Try to incorporate fish stew, chicken soup, eggs and pulses in your diet.

 

Eat Fat in Moderation

Fats are necessary for the body, but moderation is the key.   Using dairy fats like cream, butter and fats from milk products aid indigestion. These foods contain MCT or medium change triglycerides. Using excessive fats or eating fried foods can increase the risk of nausea, indigestion and loose bowels.

Keep fats as far as possible from your malaria diet. Load up on Omega 3 fats  such as fish, fish oil supplements, flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts. They work well in reducing inflammation in the body. Also, read top anti-inflammatory foods to include in your diet.

 

Foods to avoid

Avoid very high fibre foods like green leafy vegetables, fruits with thick skin, whole grain cereals. Stay religiously away from food high in fat content like fries, chips, pastries, anything with a lot of cheese in it, food made from maida, etc. Refrain from having food that is spicy and/or hot. It will result in unnecessary stomach problems and heartburn. Sauces and pickles shouldn’t be included anywhere in the diet for a malaria patient. Avoid intake of coffee, tea, cocoa, cola or any other caffeinated beverages.

It is important to work on vitamin loss by drinking electrolytes. Eating soups, stews or drinking fruit juices or dal water, coconut water, etc. are important. Vitamin C and A rich foods such as papaya, beetroots and other citrus foods, etc. with vitamin B complex are important for a malaria patient.

Disclaimer: The information included at this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation.

 

ENDING

............THANKYOU READERS...........

I HOPE YOU GET PLEASURED ABOUT MY BLOG

PLEASE LIKE SHARE AND COMMENT .

 written by......

                                           Deepak Shukla

                                           28/NOV/2022