Plasmodium infection unmasked by corticosteroid therapy

CKM Ng, AYK Mak, TS Au, TC Au, ST Lai, JY Lai
Department of Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital, Laichikok, Kowloon, Hong Kong

In the past four years, we have encountered three patients in whom malaria parasites were found incidentally in their blood when they were receiving corticosteroid therapy. Although there is little direct evidence that corticosteroid therapy can activate human malaria, animal studies have successfully demonstrated the recrudescence effect of immunosuppression on malaria infection.

Hong Kong Med J 1997;3:328-30

Key words: Malaria; Plasmodium malariae; Corticosteroids; Thrombocytopenia