Subhyaloid hemorrhage in cerebral malaria.

Cerebral malaria is one of the most serious manifestations of severe malaria in adults. The exact pathophysiology of the disease, however, is still elusive. The ocular fundus findings are supposed to reflect the pathological changes taking place in the cerebral tissue. In about 15% patients of cerebral malaria, retinal hemorrhages are seen1. They are multiple and bilateral, and the most common ophthalmoscopic finding in falciparum malaria1,2. Moreover, they increase in number with the severity of malaria1,3. Therefore, the examination of retinal details in patients with cerebral malaria serves as a diagnostic marker for the severity of disease. There are very few Indian studies on adult patients with cerebral malaria1,2 emphasizing the importance of fundus examination which shows that physicians are making less use of this widely available diagnostic tool. We are reporting a case of cerebral malaria with bilateral retinal and subhyaloid hemorrhages—a rare finding encountered in adults suffering from cerebral malaria.