- Remedies for Malaria
- Treatment of severe and complicated malaria
- What to eat to recover faster
- Natural remedies for malaria
- Signs of improvement
- Signs of worsening
- Complications
Malaria treatment is done with antimalarial drugs that are free and provided by SUS. The treatment aims to prevent the development of the parasite but the dose of the drug depends on the severity of the disease, the species of the parasite and the age and weight of the patient.
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito, which can contain 4 different species of parasites: Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium falciparum . The latter is the only one that can cause severe and complicated malaria.
When treatment is done quickly and correctly, malaria is curable. However, when treatment is not instituted immediately, the person may develop severe and complicated malaria, especially if they have been bitten by the mosquito that transmits Plasmodium falciparum , and may have serious complications such as liver, kidney and brain damage or even death.
Remedies for Malaria
Malaria treatment can be done with antimalarial drugs that depend on the person's age, the severity of the symptoms and the type of parasite that caused the malaria. Thus, the remedies indicated can be:
For malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium ovale :
- Chloroquine for 3 days + Primaquine for 7 or 14 daysIn pregnant women and children under the age of 6 months - Chloroquine for 3 days
For malaria caused by Plasmodium malariae :
- Chloroquine for 3 days
For malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum :
- Artemeter + Lumefantrine for 3 days + Primaquine in a single dose or Artsunate + Mefloquine for 3 days + Primaquine in a single dose or Quinine for 3 days + Doxycycline for 5 days + Primaquine for the 6th dayIn pregnant women in the first trimester and children under 6 months - Quinine + ClindamycinIn pregnant women in the second and third trimesters - Artemeter + Lumefantrine or Artesunate + Mefloquine
Antimalarial drugs should be taken at one time during a meal and their dose varies according to the patient's age and weight, so only the doctor or pediatrician can confirm the right dose of the medicine for each person.
The patient must take antimalarial drugs for every day that the doctor has prescribed, even if the symptoms start to disappear before the date indicated by the doctor to prevent the worsening of malaria.
Treatment of severe and complicated malaria
The treatment of severe and complicated malaria is usually carried out in the hospital, after confirming that the patient has been infected with Plasmodium falciparum and can be done as follows:
- Artesunate vein injection for 8 days and Clindamycin for 7 days or Artemeter injections for 5 days and Clindamycin for 7 days or Quinine and Clindamycin vein injection for 7 days.
In the first trimester of pregnancy and in babies under 6 months, only treatment with quinine and clindamycin can be performed.
What to eat to recover faster
You should eat easily digestible foods such as potatoes, carrots, rice and chicken and avoid all foods that are too salty, spicy or fatty. Thus, one should avoid foods like avocado, banana, açaí, fish like tuna, tambaqui, eggs, pork and beef.
Natural remedies for malaria
Some examples of natural remedies that can be useful to complement the treatment indicated by the doctor are:
- Lavender tea; Garlic water; Bilberry tea: Breadfruit leaf tea; Soursop juice; Broom tea.
These are useful because they detoxify the liver or fight the symptoms of malaria. See how to use teas to relieve the symptoms of this disease.
Signs of improvement
The signs of improvement appear after taking the medications indicated by the doctor. Thus, after a few hours the person feels better, the low fever and the headache subsides, with an increase in appetite.
Signs of worsening
The signs of worsening occur when the treatment is not carried out or when there is an error in the dose taken. Some signs can be permanence of fever, increased frequency of symptoms, chills, rigid abdomen, delirium and seizures.
If these symptoms are present, the person must be re-evaluated by the doctor to adjust the treatment. In this case, the person may have to breathe with the help of devices, for example.
Complications
Complications can arise when treatment is not performed and can include coma, severe anemia, kidney failure, heart problems. Greater complications can be seen in the case of cerebral malaria, which is the most serious type of this disease.
