Maarten Vasbinder lives in Isaan. His profession is general practitioner, a profession that he mainly practiced in Spain. On Thailandblog he answers questions from readers who live in Thailand and writes about medical facts.
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Dear Martin,
I hope you can make a diagnosis based on my data?
Man 66
Weight kg 68
Length 1.72
Blood pressure 80/120
Does not smoke
Barely drinks (not even socially)
Sport; cycle 3 km uphill 15 times a week on a very old ladies bicycle without gears
Do not use any medication
Thin poet
Since Thursday, fever, dizzy (but barely eating) and muscle aches. Very tired. Sleep a lot. Friday fever a lot less, just like the rest of the symptoms. This Saturday, as good as fever free and sleep well.
In my eyes I use enough fluid (about 3 liters - ½ liter bottles) Put a sugar sachet and a teaspoon of salt in each bottle.
Here people think of malaria, but I doubt it. Food poisoning is very common in Laos.
Regards,
J.
******
Dear J,
What is Thin Poet?
Assuming you've had thinning, I suspect you've had a viral infection that caused it. Could be a form of food poisoning. The fever and the muscle aches, the dizziness and the fatigue fit very well with that. Everyone has that sometimes.
You have cured yourself by drinking plenty of fluids with sugar and salt.
A malaria attack is easy to diagnose by means of a thick (blood) drop test. Then the blood is put under a microscope and you may be able to see the malaria parasite in the red blood cells. This test works best in the middle of the attack when the fever is high. You can also test for antibodies.
Don't do anything for now, as food poisoning seems much more likely.
Sincerely,
Dr. Maarten