Malaria can potentially be a very serious illness and, in some cases, it can be fatal. The falciparum strain of the plasmodium parasite causes the most severe malaria symptoms and results in the most fatalities.

Anemia

The extensive destruction of your red blood cells can leave you with severe anemia. Anemia is a condition where the red blood cells are unable to carry enough oxygen, which can leave you feeling lethargic, weak and faint.

Cerebral malaria

In some rare cases of malaria, the infected red blood cells can block the small blood vessels leading to the brain. This is known as cerebral anemia and can cause your brain to swell which, in some cases, may lead to permanent brain damage. It can also cause you to have a seizure (a sudden attack of illness, where your muscles may involuntary contract), or to fall into a coma.

Some other complications of a severe case of malaria can include:

• breathing problems (such as fluid in your lungs),
• dehydration,
• liver failure,
• shock,
• spontaneous bleeding,
• jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin caused by an excess of a chemical in your blood called bilirubin),
• hypoglycemia (an abnormally low amount of sugar in your blood),
• kidney failure, and
• swelling, and rupturing, of the spleen.

Complications of malaria tend to be more severe in pregnant women and children.