Malaria, Intermittent Fever, and Psychiatric Illness
- Plasmodium falciparum,
- Plasmodium ovale,
- Plasmodium vivax, and
- Plasmodium malariae.
Doctors have, for over a century, noted that malaria and mental health issues are correlated. Malaria can cause paralysis in addition to mental confusion, depression, PTSD symptoms, anxiety, bipolar disorder symptoms, and more.
Almost 70% of malaria patients experience mental confusion. About 37% experience depression. Malaria patients may develop dissociative disorders and even fugue states. In the 1920s, doctors noted that St. Vitus dance, which is known to be caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, is common in malaria patients suggesting a relationship perhaps between Streptococcus infection and malaria infection.
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Almost any type of psychiatric illness can develop in tandem with malaria infection, but mental confusion and depression are the most common issues. Malaria can impact the entire nervous system to produce generalized symptoms that are both physical and psychological. Treatment with intramuscular quinine can be used to overcome cachexia caused by malaria as well as other symptoms. Cinchona officinalis contains quinine and this whole herb should be administered at a dose of 0.25 grams per kilogram of body weight. Combine with Artemisia annua at a dose of 2.5 grams for children under age 5 years and 5 grams for children and adults over 5 years of age.All of that being said, malaria can be used as a treatment for cancer. Cancer, as a disease, is characterized by a situation in which the patient does not develop fevers in response to illness. So the fact that malaria produces a fever fairly reliably has been noted by scientists and doctors who have been able to administer malaria as a treatment for cancer, followed by quinine as a cure for the induced-malaria.
Intermittent fevers are not always caused by malaria, but they suggest this type of infection as a diagnosis. Fevers happen cyclically at the time when the malaria parasite is either getting ready to or is rupturing red blood cells to release merozoites into circulation. The merozoites, in turn, will infect other red blood cells. Infection causes fevers to recur every 48 to 72 hours. Plasmodium falciparum produces irregular fevers spikes that are superimposed on a continuous fever.
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In regard to fever production, malaria is an iconic fever-producing disease to consider. Malaria causes hemolysis or the rupture of red blood cells. When red blood cells rupture, they release cellular debris that triggers an inflammatory response that causes fever and fatigue as well as sometimes jaundice as well.A large number of infectious pathogens cause hemolysis, including, for example, Streptococcus pyogenes. When red blood cells are being lysed and destroyed, a fever occurs as a result of the cell debris in the blood that trigger an immune system response.That being said, however, fever can sometimes inhibit hemolysis to prevent bacterial illness from getting out of the control. Nonetheless, red blood cell rupture is an important underlying cause of fever that can often be treated using Cinchona officinalis and Artemisia annua.
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Resources:
• Forrester, A. T. W: (1920). Malaria and Insanity. Retrieved March 20, 2026 from https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?journal=Lancet&title=Malaria%20and%20insanity&author=ATM%20Forester&volume=1&publication_year=1920&pages=16-17&
• No Author (n.d.). Final Diagnosis – Malaria (Intermittent fevers). Retrieved March 28, 2026 from https://path.upmc.edu/cases/case43/dx.html#:~:text=The%20paroxysms%20or%20cyclical%20fevers,rupture.%20Infection%20with%20P.%20malaria
