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

Table 4.

Metabolic comorbidities and association with severe malaria according to WHO and restricted criteria

Variable Malaria severity according to all WHO criteria Malaria severity using restricted criteria9
Non-severe malaria (N = 169), n (%) Severe malaria (N = 120) n (%) Crude
OR (95%CI)
Adjusted
OR (95%CI)
Non-severe malaria (N = 213), n (%) Severe malaria
(N = 76) n (%)
Crude
OR (95%CI)
Adjusted
OR (95%CI)
Confirmed Diabetes 10 (5.9) 26 (21.7) 4.58 (2.11–9.93) 3.24 (1.38–7.62)1 17 (8.0) 19 (25.0) 4.01 (1.95–8.25) 2.29 (1.02–5.15)3
Metabolic syndrome 28 (18.5) 37 (35.9) 2.60 (1.47–4.60) 3.18 (1.60–6.37)2 41 (20.9) 27 (35.5) 2.49 (1.37–4.52) 2.58 (1.26–5.31)4
Central obesity10 50 (30.3) 45 (39.5) 1.45 (0.89–2.38) 1.35 (0.76–2.44)5 66 (31.0) 34 (44.7) 1.80 (1.05–3.08) 2.52 (1.24–5.11)6
BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 33 (22.9) 23 (23.5) 0.98 (0.54–1.80) 1.70 (0.91–3.17)7 38 (20.2) 19 (30.2) 1.70 (0.89–3.25) 1.46 (0.69–3.09)8

1,2adjusted for age group, education, occupation, and HIV status

3,4,5,6,7,8adjusted for age group, education, occupation, and HIV status

9without prostration

10central obesity is defined abnormal waist circumference or BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2