Table 1.
Characteristics of children at baseline by study arm.
| Parameter | Usual diet + ready to use feed (RUTF) (N = 424) | Usual diet (N = 422) | All patients (N = 846) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, months | 17 (10, 34) | 18 (10, 34) | 18 (10, 34) |
| Male sex | 244 (57.5%) | 250 (59.2%) | 494 (58.4%) |
| Female sex | 180 (42.5%) | 172 (40.8%) | 352 (41.6%) |
| Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC), cm | 14.8 (14.0, 15.7) | 14.8 (13.8, 15.8) | 14.8 (14.0, 15.8) |
| Undernutrition (MUAC ≥11.5 and < 12.5) | 15 (3.5%) | 12 (2.8%) | 27 (3.2%) |
| Weight for age z-score | −0.7 (−1.5, 0.0) | −0.7 (−1.6, 0.1) | −0.7 (−1.5, 0.1) |
| Weight for height z-score | −0.4 (−1.2, 0.5) | −0.4 (−1.2, 0.5) | −0.4 (−1.2, 0.5) |
| Fever (>37.5 °C) | 189 (44.6%) | 185 (43.8%) | 374 (44.2%) |
| History of fever | 388 (91.5%) | 381 (90.3%) | 769 (90.9%) |
| History of asthma | 10 (2.4%) | 13 (3.1%) | 23 (2.7%) |
| SpO2, % | 89 (86, 90) | 89 (87, 90) | 89 (87, 90) |
| Severe hypoxaemia (SpO2 < 80%) | 34 (8.0%) | 30 (7.1%) | 64 (7.6%) |
| Respiratory rate, per minute | 55 (48, 63) | 55 (48, 62) | 55 (48, 62) |
| Tachypnoea | 391 (92.2%) | 380 (90.0%) | 771 (91.1%) |
| Indrawing | 385 (91.0%) | 383 (90.8%) | 768 (90.9%) |
| Cyanosis | 1 (0.2%) | 1 (0.2%) | 2 (0.2%) |
| Crepitations | 322 (75.9%) | 315 (74.6%) | 637 (75.3%) |
| Wheeze | 122 (28.9%) | 130 (30.8%) | 252 (29.9%) |
| Pneumonia signs on chest x-ray | 242 (58.0%) | 233 (55.9%) | 475 (57.0%) |
| Severe Tachycardia | 108 (25.5%) | 110 (26.1%) | 218 (25.8%) |
| Compensated Shock | 194 (45.8%) | 191 (45.3%) | 385 (45.5%) |
| Severe Pallor | 43 (10.1%) | 40 (9.5%) | 83 (9.8%) |
| Vomiting/Diarrhoea | 129 (30.5%) | 127 (30.2%) | 256 (30.4%) |
| Dehydrated | 11 (2.6%) | 9 (2.1%) | 20 (2.4%) |
| Conscious level: responds to | |||
| Pain or Voice | 21 (87.5%) | 25 (83.3%) | 46 (85.2%) |
| Unresponsive | 3 (12.5%) | 5 (16.7%) | 8 (14.8%) |
| Previous or recent tuberculosis diagnosis | 4 (0.9%) | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (0.5%) |
| HIV | 2 (0.5%) | 4 (1.0%) | 6 (0.7%) |
| Sickle Cell Disease by genotype | 58 (14.2%) | 43 (10.6%) | 101 (12.4%) |
| Developmental Delay | 14 (3.3%) | 16 (3.8%) | 30 (3.6%) |
| Haemoglobin, g/dl | 10 (9, 12) | 10 (9, 12) | 10 (9, 12) |
| Severe Anaemia (Hb < 5 g/dl) | 34 (8.1%) | 27 (6.4%) | 61 (7.3%) |
| White blood cell count, x103/uL | 12 (9, 18) | 12 (9, 17) | 12 (9, 18) |
| Leucocytosis (WBC>11) | 245 (58.6%) | 238 (56.8%) | 483 (57.7%) |
| Malaria rapid diagnostic test | 109 (26.1%) | 101 (24.1%) | 210 (25.1%) |
| Bacteraemia | 10 (2.4%) | 9 (2.2%) | 19 (2.3%) |
| Lactate >2 mmol/L | 148 (35.9%) | 156 (37.8%) | 304 (36.8%) |
| Antibiotics in this illness | 219 (52.5%) | 229 (55.4%) | 448 (54.0%) |
| Antimalarial in this illness | 116 (27.6%) | 90 (21.5%) | 206 (24.5%) |
Data are median (interquartile range IQR) or n (%).