Table 2.
Characteristics of the 699 malaria episodes among 185 children randomised to continued co-trimoxazole prophylaxis versus no prophylaxis. Values are numbers (percentages) of episodes unless stated otherwise
| Characteristic | Co-trimoxazole prophylaxis | P value of difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continued (n=299) | Stopped (n=400) | ||
| Mean (SD) baseline temperature (°C) | 38.2 (1.0) | 38.4 (1.1) | 0.05 |
| Geometric mean baseline parasite density (parasites/μL) | 13 473 | 21 108 | 0.02 |
| Gametocytes present at baseline | 24 (8) | 22 (6) | 0.27 |
| Mean (SD) baseline haemoglobin concentration (g/L) | 101 (16) | 100 (15) | 0.37 |
| Malaria treatment regimen: | |||
| Artemether-lumefantrine | 163 (55) | 208 (52) | — |
| Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine | 133 (44) | 184 (46) | 0.35 |
| Quinine, uncomplicated malaria | 0 | 4 (1) | — |
| Quinine, complicated malaria | 3 (1) | 4 (1) | — |
| Positive blood smear after treatment: | |||
| Day 2 | 26 (9) | 48 (12) | 0.14 |
| Day 3 | 1 (0.3) | 8 (2) | 0.07 |
| Treatment failure* | 57 (19) | 126 (32) | 0.006 |
| Mean (SD) haemoglobin recovery† (g/L) | 0.56 (1.72) | 0.57 (1.57) | 0.94 |
*Early treatment failure, late clinical failure, or late parasitological failure according to 28 day WHO outcome classification system.
†Change in haemoglobin from day 0 to day 28 or to day of treatment failure.