Table 4.
Summary of neuropathological features in the brainstem of fatal severe malaria cases
| Neuropathological feature | |||||||||
|
Haemorrhages (% severe cases, n = 20) |
Astrogliosis (% severe cases, n = 19) |
Swollen Axons (% severe cases, n = 20) |
Chromatolysis (% severe cases, n = 20) |
||||||
| Grade | NCM | CM | NCM | CM | NCM | CM | No. centres effected* | NCM | CM |
| 0 | 40 | 20 | 15.8 | 26.3 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 25 | 10 |
| 1 | 0 | 10 | 36.8 | 15.8 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 5.3 | 15 | 30 | 3 | 15 | 25 |
| 3 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
* All cases had at least 1 centre with chromatolytic neurons. Brainstem centres included: oculomotor, motor Vth, VIIth, vestibular, reticular formation and raphe, lateral cuneate, deep pontine and Xth [25].