Malaria vivax now attacking hearts, docs left baffled

8 cases across 4 hospitals where patients with no history of cardiac trouble suffered strokes

Lata Mishra

     

Posted On Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 07:04:27 AM

A dangerous mutation of malaria vivax strain is leading to heart attacks among patients, city’s top cardiologists revealed on Monday. Doctors have come across eight such cases at four hospitals - Hinduja, Jupiter, Breach Candy and Lilavati - in the past week or so. All eight patients, with no history of heart ailments or family foot-print of cardiac trouble, suffered strokes after being down with malaria vivax for a few days. Doctors at Jupiter Hospital, where 21-year-old Sachin Ruikar is being treated after he suffered two heart attacks following blood clotting in arteries caused by malaria vivax, held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the alarming development. They are now preparing a report to be shared with the BMC’s health department. Sachin is employed with a builder. He does not smoke and is a teetotaller. Interventional cardiologist at Jupiter Hospital, Dr Vijay Surse, said Sachin was brought in on July 24 after suffering two heart attacks in quick succession. “He is just 21. Does not smoke, does not drink. There is no family history of heart ailments or co-morbid issues like diabetes or hypertension. However, angiography revealed blood clots in arteries. We carried out angioplasty and removed the clots," Dr Surse added. As Sachin stabilised, Dr Surse called two other cardiologists and five chest specialists to carry out checks on the patient. These tests ruled out all possible known causes of heart trouble. "We now believe sludging of blood cells caused by malaria vivax led to the clotting in heart vessels. Blood clotting due to malaria till now was seen to occur only in small vessels. An artery getting clogged in new," he said. At the Hinduja Hospital, five cases of heart trouble induced by malaria vivax have been treated in the past ten days. Chest specialist Dr Khusrav Bajan said, "Normally we have malaria vivax-positive patients coming in with high fever and body ache. But this time, almost 30 per cent patients are coming with heart problems, severe breathlessness and restlessness. Some had suffered heart attacks too. Echo  clearly indicated depressed heart functions." Dr Bajan said the number of malaria vivax cases far outsrip that of malaria falciparum this year. "The malaria strain in the city is rapidly mutating and thus the symptoms exhibited by patients are different. The vivax malaria, which earlier was mild in nature, has turned very potent," he added. At Lilavati, a 45-year-old woman, was treated after testing positive for malaria vivax. When she was wheeled in she was on a ventilator and had depressed cardiac functions. Dr Prahlad Prabhudesai, who treated her, said he was suprised to see a malaria patient showing symptoms of heart trouble. "Once we started treating her for malaria, her heart parameters showed improvement," he said. Head of cardiology, Breach Candy Hospital, Dr D B Pahlajani, said when malarial parasite enters blood cells it ruptures them and leads to clotting. "This is exactly what is happening in these patients’ arteries. This disrupts flow of blood and leads to heart attacks," he said. The seriousness of this rather new medical challenge can be gauged from the fact that some of the city’s top cardiologists will soon meet to exchange notes and find ways to tackle malaria vivax’s attack on hearts. “The association of cardiologists recognises this as a serious challenge. We will soon put our heads together to deal with the situation,” Dr Pahlajani said. Dr Ramakant Panda, vice chairman,  Asian Heart Institute said, “Though rare, malaria can lead to heart attacks. There is a research being carried out in this field and we hope the findings will help us create awareness among patients and their families.” With malaria raging through the city, it’s about time.