Q: My 60 years old mother had uterus cancer and the uterus was removed five months back. After three months, she got malaria with high fever and joint pain for a day. She was cured from the fever but she gets swelling in the legs with severe joint pain. She is suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. Why is she having these problems?

A:Was it an established diagnosis of malaria? A number of viral infections including dengue and chikungunya can cause fever with joint pains and swelling. This swelling can persist for a few weeks. Other causes of swelling could be related to protein deficiency in the body after her surgery and associated diabetes and hypertension. Diabetic and hypertensive kidney disease and some of the antihypertensive medication including Amlodipine may also cause foot swelling but these would not cause joint pains. Let a doctor evaluate her and also conduct liver, kidney, uric acid and thyroid tests.