Multiple choice

A person suffering from malaria usually has an enlarged spleen due to:

  1. haemorrhage of arteries

  2. accumulation of toxic substances

  3. enormous increase in the number of dead erythrocytes

  4. sporozoites which also accumulate in the spleen
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Malaria parasites infect and destroy red blood cells (erythrocytes) during their reproductive cycle. The spleen acts as a filter for damaged and abnormal blood cells, removing the massive numbers of dead erythrocytes resulting from malaria infection. This increased workload causes the spleen to enlarge (splenomegaly) as it accumulates the destroyed cells.

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