Malaria Mimicking Acute Abdomen: An Extremely Rare Case Report

Abstract

Abstract Malaria is concentrated mostly in poor low-income tropical and subtropical countries of the Africa due to Anopheles gambiae of predominantly parasite species Plasmodium falciparum. In Somalia, Malaria is considered an endemic-area across the country and progress to cause multi-organ failure both in adults and children. This case report aims to shed light on a rare suspected case of malaria mimicking acute abdominal pain which rarely occur compared to other clinical findings of Malaria. Here, we present a 9-year-old male patient from south Somalia with a complaint of severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting presented to the emergency department, those clinical findings not suggesting being Malaria symptoms. Clinical findings of Malaria may include nonspecific findings such as headache, fatigue, myalgia, and arthralgia associated with fever attacks. In addition to affecting organs like the brain, lungs, and kidneys, severe malaria frequently requires intensive care medicine. It can also be worsened by systemic infections and widespread bleeding. In conclusion, after a detailed history, careful physical examination, and comprehensive evaluation, the patient was diagnosed with acute abdominal pain caused by Malaria. Therefore, it is successfully treated by Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) to eliminate the parasite load rapidly, as a first-line malaria therapy in endemic countries, and currently standard care for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria.