A child sick with malaria (Photo : Reuters/Andreea Campeanu)
According to the findings of a new study, children with cerebral malaria die because of the swelling of the brain, Voice of America reported. The study was published in the March issue of the journal New England Journal of Medicine.
Cerebral malaria involves the brain and can result in coma and death. About 15 percent to 25 percent of African children who contract cerebral malaria die of the disease. Those who survive can become deaf, blind or suffer from learning disabilities.
The scientists performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on 168 children infected with cerebral malaria. Twenty-five children died, 84 percent of whom had severe brain swelling. On the other hand, only 27 percent of the survivors had severe brain swelling.
Dr. Terrie E. Taylor, the study's lead author, said, "What's killing these kids is that they stop breathing, because the respiratory center in the brain stem is compressed by the swelling."
According to researchers, ventilators might help save some children by supporting their breathing when the brain swelling gets worse.
Taylor further said that certain drugs, such as mannitol and steroids, may help reduce brain swelling; however, further studies are required to confirm this.
A life-threatening disease, malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium that is transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Malaria is the major cause of death in tropical and subtropical regions. There were 198 million cases of malaria globally in 2013, the World Health Organization reported.
As of now, there is no effective malaria vaccine available in the market.
