Falciparum malaria with neurological manifestations. A study among tribal community in Bangladesh.

<div>Objectives: The aim of this study is to find out the prevalence and outcome of falciparum malaria with</div><div>neurological manifestations.</div><div>Materials and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional hospital-based study of 318 falciparum malaria</div><div>patients using simple, direct, standardized questionnaire with history, lab investigations and</div><div>neurological examination from January 2014 to December 2014.</div><div>Results: July was the most vulnerable month for falciparum malaria causing the highest hospital</div><div>admission (48.8%) and death (29.3%). The commonest age group affected was 15- 30 years (49.2%).</div><div>Prevalence of neurological manifestations was 58.8%. Altered sensorium (48.7%) was the most</div><div>frequent neurological manifestation, followed by abnormal behavior (19.8%) and convulsions (15.5%).</div><div>Case fatality rate was very high with neurological manifestations, highest with altered sensorium</div><div>(31.3%). Only 71.1% knows about the neurological manifestations showing very poor perception</div><div>among tribal. Primary health care providers also failed to diagnose most of the cases (69%) which</div><div>presented with neurological features.</div><div>Conclusion: Falciparum malaria with neurological involvement is associated with increased mortality.</div><div>By documenting different neurological patterns of falciparum malaria and by trained health care</div><div>personnel, mortality and morbidity rates can be reduced by early diagnosis and management.