The role of Plasmodium in the etiology of acute diarrhea in developing countries remains controversial, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are inconsistently reported in malaria. In this observational case–control study, we investigated the prevalence and risk factors for GI symptoms in hospitalized malarious children aged 1 month to 5 years in northern Uganda. Children with a diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria were enrolled as cases, and feverish children in whom malaria was excluded were enrolled as controls. Among 451 malarious children, 46.1% had GI symptoms at admission. Compared with controls, the frequency of diarrhea (24.8% versus 11.2%, P < 0.001) and vomiting (35.5% versus 17.5%, P < 0.001) was significantly higher in children with malaria, who had a higher chance of showing either vomiting (odds ratio [OR]: 3.22; 95% CI: 2.14–4.91) or diarrhea (OR: 3.14; 95% CI: 1.99–5.07) at hospital admission. A subgroup analysis performed in children with severe malaria, severe anemia, or high-grade fever confirmed these results. Diarrhea was more frequent in infants and children younger than 3 years than in older children. The analysis of 71 malarious children with diarrhea who received intravenous artesunate showed that the symptom resolved within the first 24 hours since the beginning of the treatment in 85.9% of cases. The 3-fold higher prevalence of diarrhea and vomiting in malarious children compared with febrile controls may provide rationale for incorporating malaria testing in the symptom-guided diagnostic approach of the young child with diarrhea and vomiting in malaria-endemic settings.

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Background: Neurological manifestation of Takayasu’s Arteritis (TA) in pregnancy presenting as convulsive syncope is extremely rare, and poses a serious diagnostic dilemma due to other vast causes of fits in pregnancy. Objective: We aimed to present and shed more light on a case of TA with convulsive syncope in pregnancy refractory to anticonvulsants for seven weeks, and review the literature on the management of TA in pregnancy. Case presentation: A gravida 4 para 3+0 at 28 weeks of amenorrhea presented with repeated episodes of the sudden loss of consciousness, followed by a fall and jerking of the limbs. These were refractory to anticonvulsants that she had used for seven weeks. Physical examination revealed undetectable pulse and blood pressure (BP) in the upper limbs but elevated BP in the lower limbs. Further investigations confirmed TA and she improved on steroids and antihypertensives. Conclusion: This case typically describes the unexpected presentation of TA with convulsive syncope. It calls for meticu- lous clinical assessment of epileptic seizures in pregnancy to avoid a late diagnosis of TA and its potential poor outcomes. Keywords: Takayasu’s Arteritis in pregnancy; convulsive syncope; case report.

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