Malaria-related AKI invariably is caused by falciparum malaria. It is defined as an abrupt (within 48 hours) reduction in kidney function that may be characterized by the following: (1) an absolute increase in serum creatinine level of 0.3 mg/dL or more (26.4 mol/L), (2) a percentage increase in serum creatinine level of 50% or more In the other subset, renal impairment occurs as a sole complication. This group of patients has a better prognosis. It invariably occurs when other complications have subsided, and the patient is fully conscious, oriented, and often afebrile. These patients develop oliguria, encephalopathy, hyperkalemia, and signs of acidosis. It has to be noted that this group of patients is encountered at a time when the parasites are no longer present in the peripheral blood, making it difficult to establish the diagnosis of malaria.
A high index of suspicion and the use of a dipstick method for detecting P falciparum (eg, rapid diagnostic kits, immuno- chromatographic test [ICT], and so forth) or other alternative diagnostic tools are of paramount different series because it depends on the cohort of patients and the criteria used for the definition of MAKI. Malaria may be a major cause of renal failure in a hospital, although it may be encountered occasionally in another hospital. In a study of 500 adults in Vietnam, 30% of the patients had MAKI, with a higher incidence of jaundice and hypoglycemia Urine output usually is decreased (400 mL/ d).11 Although Prakash et al32 observed oliguria in 70% of patients in India, Manan et al34 observed it in 76% of patients from Pakistan.
Oliguria usually persists for 3 to 10 days. However,urine output may be normal or increased in a few patients. Hence, oliguria alone should not be relied on for a diagnosis of AKI in malaria. A daily estimation of biochemical tests such as blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels must be performed. A history of recent travel to malaria-endemic areas must always be sought. Although some of the complications can be identified easily on clinical examination, recognition of renal failure needs a high index of suspicion and early biochemical investigations.
The complications usually appear 3 to 7 days after onset of the fever, and may last for a few days to several weeks. Patients with peripheral parasitemia should be screened regularly for the presence of renal failure. In a clinical setting with a high index of suspicion of malaria, patients even without peripheral parasitemia or oliguria should be screened for renal impairment. Thrombocytopenia occurs in 70% of patients, half of whom develop an overt bleeding tendency.
In the majority of patients, this is part of a disseminated intravascular coagulation initiated by the gross rheologic abnormality in severe malaria. low intake of fluids, loss of fluids because of vomiting and pyrexial sweating, arterial vasodilatation, and the effect of cytokines. Peripheral blood pooling has been implicated in a number of cases. The effective arterial blood volume is reduced, and hypotension occurs on presentation. Few patients may present with shock syndrome (Mishra et al, unpublished data).
Proteinuria usually is insignificant, but it may be as high as 1 g/24 h in about a third of patients with MAKI. It usually resolves completely with recovery from renal impairment. However, persistent proteinuria may be encountered in the presence of significant interstitial or glomerular involvement.


