Clinical characteristics of the children
| . | Healthy controls . | Mild febrile illness . | Uncomplicated malaria . | Febrile controls (CSF samples) . | Nonmalarial coma . | Retinopathy-negative CM . | Retinopathy-positive CM . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 30) . | (n = 32) . | (n = 31) . | (n = 14) . | (n = 16) . | (n = 41) . | (n = 161) . | |
| Age, median years (IQR) | 4.8 (2.7-8) | 3.1 (1.8-5.4)* | 5.4 (3.1-6.8) | 4.0 (2.3-5.5) | 4.4 (2.6-5.2) | 3.8 (2.5-5.2) | 4.2 (2.7-5.2) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 12 (40) | 13 (41) | 15 (48) | 3 (21) | 8 (50) | 19 (45) | 89 (55) |
| HIV-positive, n (%)† | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) | 2 (14) | 0 (0) | 4 (9.5) | 11 (6.7) |
| Findings at presentation, median (IQR) | |||||||
| Axillary temperature | 36.6 (36.2-37) | 38.5 (38-38.9)*** | 38.7 (38.1-39.5)*** | 39.2 (38.4-40.0)*** | 38.8 (38.2-39.6)*** | 39 (38.1-39.8)*** | 38.8 (38-39.5)*** |
| Pulse rate, beats/min | 108 (102-119) | 132 (105-156)* | 128 (107-152)* | 108 (95-151) | 147 (122-160)** | 153 (133.5-166)*** | 152 (138-171)*** |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 105 (97-116) | 113 (106-122) | 108 (102-120) | 116 (111-126)* | 98 (91-108) | 99 (90-107)* | 98 (89-109)* |
| Respiratory rate, breaths/min | 28 (26-36) | 32 (28-36) | 29 (26-32) | 32 (28-37) | 40 (36-59)*** | 43 (38-52)*** | 44 (36-52)*** |
| Blood glucose, mmol/L | 4.9 (4.6-5.6) | 4.8 (4.3-5.4) | 5.5 (4.6-6.3) | 5.4 (5-5.9)* | 6.4 (5.1-7.5)* | 6.5 (5.7-10.5)*** | 6.4 (5.1-7.9)*** |
| Blood lactate, mmol/L | 1.8 (1.4-2) | 1.4 (1.1-2.1)* | 2 (1.3-3) | 1.9 (1.6-2.3) | 3.5 (2.8-5.5)** | 4.2 (2.7-7.3)*** | 6.2 (3.7-10.5)*** |
| Hb, g/dL | 10.2 (9.0-10.8) | 11.6 (11.0-12.3)** | 10.2 (9.1-11.6) | 10.4 (9.8-11.7) | 9.2 (7.6-9.9) | 8.9 (7.5-10.5)* | 6.5 (5.5-7.8)*** |
| Platelets, ×109/L | 435 (309-476) | 327 (237-387)** | 112 (75-144)*** | 270 (157-309)** | 254 (119-680)* | 138 (56-290)*** | 57 (28-92)*** |
| Parasitemia, parasites ×103/μL | 0 | 0 | 37 (2.9-201)*** | 0 | 0 | 52 (11-254)*** | 73 (14-280)*** |
| . | Healthy controls . | Mild febrile illness . | Uncomplicated malaria . | Febrile controls (CSF samples) . | Nonmalarial coma . | Retinopathy-negative CM . | Retinopathy-positive CM . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 30) . | (n = 32) . | (n = 31) . | (n = 14) . | (n = 16) . | (n = 41) . | (n = 161) . | |
| Age, median years (IQR) | 4.8 (2.7-8) | 3.1 (1.8-5.4)* | 5.4 (3.1-6.8) | 4.0 (2.3-5.5) | 4.4 (2.6-5.2) | 3.8 (2.5-5.2) | 4.2 (2.7-5.2) |
| Female sex, n (%) | 12 (40) | 13 (41) | 15 (48) | 3 (21) | 8 (50) | 19 (45) | 89 (55) |
| HIV-positive, n (%)† | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) | 2 (14) | 0 (0) | 4 (9.5) | 11 (6.7) |
| Findings at presentation, median (IQR) | |||||||
| Axillary temperature | 36.6 (36.2-37) | 38.5 (38-38.9)*** | 38.7 (38.1-39.5)*** | 39.2 (38.4-40.0)*** | 38.8 (38.2-39.6)*** | 39 (38.1-39.8)*** | 38.8 (38-39.5)*** |
| Pulse rate, beats/min | 108 (102-119) | 132 (105-156)* | 128 (107-152)* | 108 (95-151) | 147 (122-160)** | 153 (133.5-166)*** | 152 (138-171)*** |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 105 (97-116) | 113 (106-122) | 108 (102-120) | 116 (111-126)* | 98 (91-108) | 99 (90-107)* | 98 (89-109)* |
| Respiratory rate, breaths/min | 28 (26-36) | 32 (28-36) | 29 (26-32) | 32 (28-37) | 40 (36-59)*** | 43 (38-52)*** | 44 (36-52)*** |
| Blood glucose, mmol/L | 4.9 (4.6-5.6) | 4.8 (4.3-5.4) | 5.5 (4.6-6.3) | 5.4 (5-5.9)* | 6.4 (5.1-7.5)* | 6.5 (5.7-10.5)*** | 6.4 (5.1-7.9)*** |
| Blood lactate, mmol/L | 1.8 (1.4-2) | 1.4 (1.1-2.1)* | 2 (1.3-3) | 1.9 (1.6-2.3) | 3.5 (2.8-5.5)** | 4.2 (2.7-7.3)*** | 6.2 (3.7-10.5)*** |
| Hb, g/dL | 10.2 (9.0-10.8) | 11.6 (11.0-12.3)** | 10.2 (9.1-11.6) | 10.4 (9.8-11.7) | 9.2 (7.6-9.9) | 8.9 (7.5-10.5)* | 6.5 (5.5-7.8)*** |
| Platelets, ×109/L | 435 (309-476) | 327 (237-387)** | 112 (75-144)*** | 270 (157-309)** | 254 (119-680)* | 138 (56-290)*** | 57 (28-92)*** |
| Parasitemia, parasites ×103/μL | 0 | 0 | 37 (2.9-201)*** | 0 | 0 | 52 (11-254)*** | 73 (14-280)*** |
IQR, interquartile range; Hb, hemoglobin.
For each variable differences between healthy controls and other patient groups were examined using a Mann-Whitney U test (continuous variables) or Fisher’s exact test (categorical variables). *P ≤ .05; **P ≤ .01; ***P ≤ .001.
HIV was tested for using rapid testing (Determine; Inverness Medical).