Effects of Vitamins in Augmentation of Malaria Treatment: A review

Abstract

Malaria continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality in several settings in the tropical regions of the world despite the availability of efficacious and potent antimalarial drugs. This has led to an increased interest in and evaluation of micronutrients which are well known to have antioxidant effects. However, the interaction of micronutrients with malaria is not well characterized and there are conflicting results on their impact. This review examines, in particular, the relationship between vitamin supplements and malaria treatment. Data indicate that concurrent use of vitamins with antimalarial drugs may either accelerate the potency of the drugs or antagonize their effects. Also, evidence do exist that deficiencies of some of these supplements may protect, exacerbate or have both effects on malaria parasitemia, depending on the settings. Therefore, it is safe to speculate that the use of antimalarial drugs alongside vitamins should be approached with caution, in order to not undermine the potency of the drug and to assure effective disease treatment.