Blackwater fever 889450 220850745 2008-06-21T22:34:42Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. {{Infobox_Disease | Name = {{PAGENAME}} | Image = | Caption = | DiseasesDB = 7751 | ICD10 = {{ICD10|B|50||b|50}} | ICD9 = {{ICD9|084.8}} | ICDO = | OMIM = | MedlinePlus = | eMedicineSubj = | eMedicineTopic = | MeshID = D001742 | }} '''Blackwater fever''' is a complication of [[malaria]] characterized by intravascular [[haemolysis]], [[hemoglobinuria|haemoglobinuria]] and [[kidney failure]]. Blackwater fever is caused by heavy parasitization of red blood cells with ''[[Plasmodium falciparum]]''. There has been at least one case, however, attributed to ''[[Plasmodium vivax]]''. <ref>[http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1833024 Blackwater fever caused by Plasmodium vivax infection in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==Presentation== Within a few days of onset there are chills, with rigor, high fever, jaundice, vomiting, rapidly progressive anemia and the passage of dark red or black urine. The cause of hemolytic crises in this disease is unknown. There is rapid and massive destruction of red blood cells with the production of hemoglobinemia, hemoglobunuria, intense jaundice, anuria, and finally death in the majority of cases. The most probable explanation for blackwater fever is an autoimmune reaction. ==Treatment== The treatment is [[malaria|antimalarial]] chemotherapy, [[intravenous]] fluid and sometimes supportive care such as [[intensive care]] and [[dialysis]]. Blackwater fever is a serious complication of malaria, but [[cerebral malaria]] has a higher [[mortality rate]]. Blackwater fever is much less common today than it was before 1950.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Bruneel F, Gachot B, Wolff M, ''et al'' |title=[Blackwater fever] |language=French |journal=Presse médicale (Paris, France : 1983) |volume=31 |issue=28 |pages=1329–34 |year=2002 |pmid=12355996 |doi=}}</ref> It may be that [[quinine]] plays a role in triggering the condition, and this drug is no longer commonly used for malaria [[prophylaxis]]. Quinine remains important for treatment of malaria ==Cultural references== * ''[[Out of Africa (film)|Out of Africa]]'', a film based on the experiences of author [[Isak Dinesen]]. * ''[[At Play in the Fields of the Lord]],'' a novel by [[Peter Matthiessen]]. [[Category:Malaria]] * ''[[West with the Night]]'', African memoir by aviatrix [[Beryl Markham]]. * ''[[Burmese Days]]'', a novel by [[George Orwell]]; several associates of Flory are noted to have died of blackwater fever in chapter 5. * ''[[The Heart of the Matter]]'', a novel by [[Graham Greene]]. ==References== <references/> {{disease-stub}} {{Protozoal diseases}} [[it:Febbre emoglobinurica]]