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Malaria Diagnosis
Physical examination and questioning the patient about the cyclic nature of the symptoms is an essential part of the diagnosis, especially in patients who recently traveled to endemic areas. Even if you traveled to endemic areas one year ago, that doesn’t rule out malaria. It is rare, but some patients may have a very long incubation period.
Every suspect should be confirmed with a few tests. Returning travelers at risk of malaria should get lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), platelets, white blood cell count, and morphology studies. Patients should also get a malaria smear when they have the triad of high LDH, low platelet levels, and atypical lymphocytes. This is obtained with a blood culture, which should be drawn during the febrile periods of the disease.
Other studies on these patients include hemoglobin levels, liver function tests, renal function tests, electrolyte levels, and white blood cell count. These will help doctors find out the extent of the disease and guide their treatment accordingly.
