{"title":"Malaria-associated liver dysfunction: a forgotten challenge.","authors":"Fran Prenen, Philippe E Van den Steen","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2025.05.010","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Malaria-associated liver dysfunction (MALID) is a frequent yet understudied complication of severe malaria, characterized by increased liver enzyme levels, hyperbilirubinemia, and distinctive histopathological changes. Notably, MALID can persist despite antimalarial treatment and is strongly associated with morbidity and mortality. Given the central role of the liver in metabolism, immunity, and detoxification, MALID may profoundly impact the functionality of other organs and exacerbate overall disease severity. This review consolidates the current knowledge on MALID, emphasizing the need for further research to elucidate its underlying mechanisms and its interplay with other malaria-related complications. A deeper understanding of MALID could pave the way for improved treatment strategies and management of severe malaria cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"547-559"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Trends in parasitology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2025.05.010","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/6/5 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PARASITOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Malaria-associated liver dysfunction (MALID) is a frequent yet understudied complication of severe malaria, characterized by increased liver enzyme levels, hyperbilirubinemia, and distinctive histopathological changes. Notably, MALID can persist despite antimalarial treatment and is strongly associated with morbidity and mortality. Given the central role of the liver in metabolism, immunity, and detoxification, MALID may profoundly impact the functionality of other organs and exacerbate overall disease severity. This review consolidates the current knowledge on MALID, emphasizing the need for further research to elucidate its underlying mechanisms and its interplay with other malaria-related complications. A deeper understanding of MALID could pave the way for improved treatment strategies and management of severe malaria cases.
期刊介绍:
Since its inception as Parasitology Today in 1985, Trends in Parasitology has evolved into a highly esteemed review journal of global significance, reflecting the importance of medical and veterinary parasites worldwide. The journal serves as a hub for communication among researchers across all disciplines of parasitology, encompassing endoparasites, ectoparasites, transmission vectors, and susceptible hosts.
Each monthly issue of Trends in Parasitology offers authoritative, cutting-edge, and yet accessible review articles, providing a balanced and comprehensive overview, along with opinion pieces offering personal and novel perspectives. Additionally, the journal publishes a variety of short articles designed to inform and stimulate thoughts in a lively and widely-accessible manner. These include Science & Society (discussing the interface between parasitology and the general public), Spotlight (highlighting recently published research articles), Forum (presenting single-point hypotheses), Parasite/Vector of the Month (featuring a modular display of the selected species), Letter (providing responses to recent articles in Trends in Parasitology), and Trendstalk (conducting interviews). Please note that the journal exclusively publishes literature reviews based on published data, with systematic reviews, meta-analysis, and unpublished primary research falling outside our scope.