Malaria Symptoms

Incubation period

Symptoms of malaria may take around seven days to develop after a bite from an infected mosquito. This is known as the incubation period or the time between being infected and when symptoms start. Usual incubation period for malaria is around 10 to 15 days. Some cases of malaria may take longer to develop.

Patients with Plasmodium falciparum infection present in the first month or within the first six months of infection. Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium ovale infections may present later than 6 months after exposure, and sometimes after years.

Initial symptoms

Initially the symptoms are similar to a bout of flu, hepatitis or gastroenteritis.

High fever of above 38C (over 100.4F) that comes in bouts. The fever may come every 48 to 72 hours when the red blood cells laden with the parasites burst into the blood stream. The fever may also occur in four to eight hour cycles. Classically (but less frequently seen clinically) the attacks occur every second day with the “tertian” parasites (Plasmodium falciparumPlasmodium vivax, and Plasmodium ovale) and every third day with the “quartan” parasite (Plasmodium malariae).

Fever is accompanied by sweating, chills and shaking. Patient feels cold at first with shivering that lasts for up to an hour. This then turns into a fever that lasts for two-to-six hours, accompanied by severe sweating.

There are three stages in classical malaria. These are not seen always. The stages are:

  • a cold stage with shivering
  • a hot stage with fever, headaches, vomiting
  • a sweating stage with intense sweating.

Other initial symptoms include;

  • Severe headache
  • Severe vomiting and diarrhea may be seen in some cases.
  • There may be muscle pain and a general feeling of being unwell.
  • On examination there may be features of an enlarged liver and spleen, jaundice (yellowing of the whites of the eyes, urine and nail beds) and pain over the abdomen.

Complications of malaria

The most serious type of malaria is caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. Those with Plasmodium falciparum malaria may develop several complications. The symptoms of a more complicated form of malaria include:-

  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Convulsions or seizures
  • Loss of derangement of consciousness
  • Bleeding tendencies
  • Severe fall in blood glucose
  • Severe anemia
  • Kidney failure
  • Shock of cardiovascular collapse with severe fall in blood pressure and stoppage of urine formation
  • Acute respiratory distress syndrome
  • Multi-organ failure

Further Reading

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2023

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Written by

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Dr. Ananya Mandal is a doctor by profession, lecturer by vocation and a medical writer by passion. She specialized in Clinical Pharmacology after her bachelor's (MBBS). For her, health communication is not just writing complicated reviews for professionals but making medical knowledge understandable and available to the general public as well.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Mandal, Ananya. (2023, July 06). Malaria Symptoms. News-Medical. Retrieved on October 31, 2024 from https://www.news-medical.net/health/Malaria-Symptoms.aspx.

  • MLA

    Mandal, Ananya. "Malaria Symptoms". News-Medical. 31 October 2024. <https://www.news-medical.net/health/Malaria-Symptoms.aspx>.

  • Chicago

    Mandal, Ananya. "Malaria Symptoms". News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Malaria-Symptoms.aspx. (accessed October 31, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Mandal, Ananya. 2023. Malaria Symptoms. News-Medical, viewed 31 October 2024, https://www.news-medical.net/health/Malaria-Symptoms.aspx.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Breakthrough malaria vaccine offers long-term protection for pregnant women