Baseline characteristics of 233 patients with malaria and healthy control patients from Sabah
| . | Control patients (n = 28) . | P falciparum (n = 14) . | P vivax (n = 85) . | P knowlesi (n = 106) . | Kruskal-Wallis test P value . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 31.5 (26-36.8) | 25 (18-37.8) | 22 (12-34)** | 34 (22-52.3) | <.0001 |
| Number aged ≤12 y | — | — | 22 | 6 | — |
| Males, n (%) | 10 (36%) | 12 (86%) | 62 (73%) | 84 (79%) | — |
| Number with severe malaria* | — | 1 | 0 | 6 | — |
| Parasitemia, parasites/µL | Not detected by PCR | 9850 (3130-21 800) | 4640 (1830-7630) | 2650 (648-8770)† | .025 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 13.7 (12.9-14.8) | 12.9 (11.1-14.8) | 12.4** (10.5-13.9) | 13.4 (11.9-14.6) | .002 |
| RBC count, ×106/ µL | 5.1 (4.9-5.5) | 4.9 (4.2-5.3) | 4.6 (4.1-5.0)*** | 5.1 (4.6-5.5) | <.0001 |
| WBC count, ×1000/µL | 7.8 (6.6-8.9) | 5.7** (4.1-6.9) | 6.4* (5.3-7.9) | 6.2** (5.1-7.9) | .002 |
| Platelet count, ×1000/µL | 348 (267-363) | 86*** (56-156) | 97*** (67-133) | 72*** (52-108)‡ | <.0001 |
| . | Control patients (n = 28) . | P falciparum (n = 14) . | P vivax (n = 85) . | P knowlesi (n = 106) . | Kruskal-Wallis test P value . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 31.5 (26-36.8) | 25 (18-37.8) | 22 (12-34)** | 34 (22-52.3) | <.0001 |
| Number aged ≤12 y | — | — | 22 | 6 | — |
| Males, n (%) | 10 (36%) | 12 (86%) | 62 (73%) | 84 (79%) | — |
| Number with severe malaria* | — | 1 | 0 | 6 | — |
| Parasitemia, parasites/µL | Not detected by PCR | 9850 (3130-21 800) | 4640 (1830-7630) | 2650 (648-8770)† | .025 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 13.7 (12.9-14.8) | 12.9 (11.1-14.8) | 12.4** (10.5-13.9) | 13.4 (11.9-14.6) | .002 |
| RBC count, ×106/ µL | 5.1 (4.9-5.5) | 4.9 (4.2-5.3) | 4.6 (4.1-5.0)*** | 5.1 (4.6-5.5) | <.0001 |
| WBC count, ×1000/µL | 7.8 (6.6-8.9) | 5.7** (4.1-6.9) | 6.4* (5.3-7.9) | 6.2** (5.1-7.9) | .002 |
| Platelet count, ×1000/µL | 348 (267-363) | 86*** (56-156) | 97*** (67-133) | 72*** (52-108)‡ | <.0001 |
All values are median (interquartile range) unless otherwise indicated. Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparisons test, significantly different to control patients (***P < .0005; **P < .005; *P < .05).
Severe malaria criteria encountered: acute kidney injury (creatinine > 265 µmol/L), significant abnormal bleeding, severe anemia (hemoglobin <7 g/dL or hematocrit <20%), jaundice (visible jaundice OR creatinine >1.5 mg/dL OR bilirubin >3 mg/dL AND >100 000 parasites/µL [P falciparum] or >20 000/µL [P knowlesi]), hyperparasitemia (asexual parasitemia >10% [P falciparum] OR >100 000/µL [P knowlesi]), metabolic acidosis (HCO3 <15 mmol/L OR lactate >5 mmol/L).
Median parasitemia in severe (136 000 parasites/µL) vs nonsevere P knowlesi (2450 parasites/µL; Mann-Whitney test, P < .0001).
Median platelet count in severe (52 500/µL) vs nonsevere P knowlesi (72 000/µL; Mann-Whitney test, P = .154).