Descriptive study of malaria cases in a general hospital in Madrid between 1996 and 2011

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Malaria causes around 863,000 deaths per year, most of them in children under 5 years old. Material and methods We have reviewed the epidemiological data of malaria cases in a paediatric department in a hospital in the Community of Madrid, in the period 1996–2011. Results In the period reviewed, 103 cases of malaria were diagnosed in children under 14 years old. Sixty percent were males and the average age was 4.5 years. In most cases, the infection arose during a visit to relatives in the country of origin. The vast majority did not have malaria prophylaxis. Twenty-five percent of the cases were diagnosed as complicated malaria, the main criteria being hyperparasitemia, of which 80% of the patients did not present any other complications. Conclusions A high level of suspicion must be maintained in any patient who comes from a malaria endemic area. The key factor responsible for the infection was the lack of chemoprophylaxis.