falciparum malaria /falsip″ərəm/ [L, falx, sickle, forma, form; It, mal, bad, aria, air] , the most severe form of malaria, caused by the protozoon Plasmodium falciparum. The condition is characterized by extremely grave systemic symptoms, mild jaundice, mental confusion, enlarged spleen and liver, increased respiratory rate, edema, GI symptoms, and anemia. The parasite replicates so rapidly in erythrocytes that cerebral vessels may be obstructed. Falciparum malaria episodes do not last as long as other forms of malaria; if treatment is begun promptly, the disease may be mild and the recovery uneventful. Relapses are uncommon, but death may result from dehydration and anemia. The usual treatment is chloroquine, but patients known to have contracted malaria in an area that harbors drug-resistant P. falciparum are often treated with a combination of quinine, pyrimethamine, and mefloquine. Compare quartan malaria, tertian malaria. See also algid malaria, blackwater fever, malaria.
