Abstract:
A prospective study was carried out in which brain, core and skin temperatures were studied in
children with cerebral malaria (n = 23), uncomplicated malaria (n = 12) and normal children (n = 9)
using the zero heat flow method. Patients with cerebral or uncomplicated malaria were admitted to
the paediatric wards (mean age, 6 years 8 months ± 2 years 8 months). Normal children, children of
the investigators, of the same age group, served as controls. Parasitaemia levels were similar in the
cerebral and uncomplicated malaria cases. Higher brain than core temperatures would have been
expected in cerebral malaria but not in uncomplicated malaria but this was not the case in this study.
There was no statistical difference in brain, core and skin temperature between cerebral and
uncomplicated malaria patients. However, there was a highly significant difference between normal
children and cerebral and uncomplicated malaria patients. Brain temperature was 0.02–0.2ºC below
core temperature in all the groups with larger differences during the febrile period. Mean differ-
ences of brain minus core, brain minus skin and core minus skin between the two groups of patients
were not statistically significant. There was no correlation between temperature and the level of
coma or parasitaemia for cerebral and uncomplicated malaria patients. There was a positive corre-
lation between brain and core temperature in both groups of patients during the febrile phase. Brain
temperature remained lower than core temperature in cerebral and uncomplicated malaria as in
normal children. Normal thermoregulation appears to be maintained in cerebral malaria.
