Age-related changes in red blood cell complement regulatory proteins and susceptibility to severe malaria.

Severe malaria-associated anemia and cerebral malaria are life-threatening complications of Plasmodium falciparum infection. Red blood cell (RBC) complement regulatory proteins (CRPs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of both. We sought to determine whether there are age-related changes in the expression of CRPs that could explain the susceptibility to severe malaria-associated anemia in young children and the susceptibility to cerebral malaria in older children and adults.