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. 2025 Aug 22;25:1060. doi: 10.1186/s12879-025-11389-1

Table 2.

Clinical and laboratory profiles of patients at admission, including assessment of metabolic comorbidities according to malaria severity

Characteristic Total (N = 289) Non-severe malaria (N = 169) Severe malaria (N = 120) p-value Crude OR (95% CI)
Diabetes
 Diabetes (new and known) 36 (12.5) 10 (5.9) 26 (21.7)  < 0.001 4.31 (1.99–9.34)
 New diagnosed diabetes 21 (7.3) 6 (3.6) 15 (12.5) 0.007 3.81 (1.43–10)
 Diabetes diagnosed at admission1 14 (4.8) 6 (3.6) 8 (6.7) 0.153 2.3 (0.73–7.21)
 Diabetes confirmed at follow-up2 7 (46.7) 2 (25.0) 5 (71.4) 0.085 7.50 (0.76–74)
 Diabetes (undetermined) 10 (3.5) 4 (2.4) 6 (5.0) 0.238 2.17 (0.60–7.87)
Metabolic syndrome criteria (n = 264)
 Body-mass index (BMI)
  Mean BMI (kg/m2), SD 26.7, 6 26.6, 6 26.6, 5 0.934
  Underweight (< 18 kg/m2) 8 (2.8) 5 3 (2.5)
  Normal (18–24.9 kg/m2) 105 (36.3) 62 (37.4) 43 (35.8) 0.848 1.15 (0.26–5.09)
  Overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2) 80 (27.7) 45 (27.1) 34 (28.3) 0.763 1.26 (0.28–5.64)
  Obese (≥ 30 kg/m2) 57 (19.7) 33 (19.9) 23 (19.2) 0.848 1.16 (0.25–5.35)
  Missing 39 (13.5) 21 (12.6) 17 (14.2)
Waist circumference3
 Normal 83 (28.7) 52 (31.3) 31 (25.8)
 Abnormal 75 (26.0) 36 (21.3) 39 (32.5) 0.199 1.87 (0.99–3.53)
 Missing 131 (45.3) 81 (47.9) 50 (41.7)
 Hypertension4, 92 (32.2) 57 (34.3) 35 (29.2) 0.744 1.10 (0.62–1.96)
 Reduced HDL cholesterol5 191 (70.2) 106 (65.8) 85 (76.6) 0.057 1.70 (0.98–2.93)
 Raised Triglycerides6 115 (43.1) 54 (34.4) 61 (55.5) 0.001 2.37 (1.44–3.91)
 Raised fasting blood glucose7 87 (36.2) 39 (28.1) 48 (47.5) 0.002 2.32 (1.36–3.98)
Metabolic syndrome 68 (25.8) 27 (17.6) 39 (35.8) 0.001 2.6 (1.47–4.60)

Data is presented as numbers and percentages (%) if not otherwise stated

1 ≥ 6.5%, RBS > 200 mg/dL)

2 These patients on admission had HbA1c ≥ 6.5 but RBS < 200 mg/dL and were tested for fasting plasma glucose (FPG ≥ 126 mg/dL) weeks after discharge from the hospital

3 Abnormal implies waist circumference ≥ 94 cm in men and ≥ 80 cm in women

4 known or SBP ≥ 130 mmHg on admission

5 ≤ 40 mg/dL (men), ≤ 50 mg/dL (women), 6 > 150 mg/dL, 7 ≥ 100 mg/dL