Question: My Neutrophils count is 90 and lymphocyte count is 10. Can it be malaria?
Answer: Malaria is a serious infectious disease. Here the fever often starts and stops over a period of time. It has the tendency to recur again and again. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions.
Following are some of the common symptom of malaria.
- High fever is the most common symptom.
- It may occur every day, on alternate days or every fourth day and is accompanied by shivering, headache, pain in the limbs and chill.
- Temperature comes down after sometime accompanied by profuse sweating.
What Are The Causes Of Malaria?
Malaria is caused due to the bite of anopheles mosquito, which is the carrier of the plasmodium strain of parasite. During the bite, the mosquito transmits the parasite into the blood of the human host, which results in the disease. Female anopheles mosquito spreads it from infected person to a healthy person.
A condition caused by parasite of the plasmodium family (vivax, ovale or falcifarum), which results in breakdown of red blood cells (hemolysis). The condition is associated with high-grade fever, shivering and chills associated with headache and musculo-skeletal pain.
Plasmodium vivax is common and less lethal compared to falcifarum, which is associated with severe form of malaria and is more lethal. Plasmodium ovale is less frequently observed.
Wrong eating habits and faulty style of living lowers the vitality of the system, and aids in the development of malaria.
Blood Count In Malaria
- Neutrophils are white blood cells. The neutrophil count increases, especially when there is an acute infection. The normal range of human neutrophil count ranges from 2.5 to 7.5 x 109/L. They normally constitute of 70% of the count in normal condition. The count increases up to 90% when there is an acute infection. During an acute malarial infection the neutrophil count is bound to rise.
- Lymphocytes are phagocyte cells that function as the second line of body’s immune defense system. Their count is lower in acute infection; however their count increases only in chronic infectious condition like Tuberculosis.
- To verify the diagnosis of malaria, Peripheral Smear for Malaria, needs to be done.
Natural Remedies To Cure And Prevent Malaria
- Fast on orange juice and water 7 to 15 days. After fever subsides adopt an exclusive fruit diet for 3 days. Then embark on a well balanced diet.
- Apply cold pack to the whole body to reduce temperature. The pack should be replaced after every 3 hours and should be kept for an hour.
- Apply hot water bottles to the sides of the body and feet.
- Grapefruit has beneficial properties against malaria. Boil a quarter of grapefruit, strain its pulp and use it.
- Cinnamon is effective against malaria. Coarsely powdered cinnamon is boiled in a glass of water with honey and a pinch of pepper powder.
- Alum (roasted and powdered) provides relief. It should be taken 4 hours before the attack is expected and every 2 hours after that.
- Lime and lemon are beneficial too. Juice of one lemon should be mixed with 3 grams of lime and 60 milliliters of water. This water should be taken before the onset of fever.
Prevention Of Malaria
- To prevent mosquito bites, spray walls of the house with insecticides.
- Avoid water stagnation and maintain environmental hygiene and cleanliness of surroundings.
- Infusion prepared from holy basil leaves is beneficial in prevention of malaria. Juice of about 11 grams of basil leaves mixed with 3 grams of black pepper powder should be taken in the cold stage of malarial fever. It checks severity of the disease.