SPLENOMEGALY IN NEW GUINEA

  • 1 January 1967
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 36  (6) , 901-+
Abstract
Seeking to determine whether there is a relationship in New Guineans between hepatic sinusoidal infiltration and splenomegaly and malaria, 24 adults were studied from a village protected from malaria for 5 years by 6-monthly DDT spraying and 34 adults from an unprotected village with hyperendemic malaria. Clinical splenomegaly tended to be associated with greater hepatic sinusoidal infiltration among persons from the malarious village and that higher malaria antibody titers were more common in patients with splenomegaly in this village. In adults in the protected village the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia was much lower than in the malarious village and the sinusoidal infiltrates were also diminished. No associations between parasitaemia, malaria antibody titer, and hepatic sinusoidal infiltration could be demonstrated in the malarious village. The implications of these findings are discussed and the question of malaria being responsible for the marked splenomegaly encountered in tropical practice is discussed.