Table 1.
Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of the study participants
| Characteristica | Non-SMA patientsb | SMA patientsb | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of participants | 400 | 123 | |
| No. (%) of: | |||
| Males | 213 (53.9) | 55 (44.7) | 0.098c |
| Females | 187 (46.8) | 68 (55.3) | |
| Age (mo) | 10.0 (10.0) | 8.0 (7.0) | 0.017d |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) | 7.1 (2.8) | 4.2 (1.1) | <0.001d |
| WBCs (×103/μl) | 11.2 (5.8) | 15.2 (9.6) | <0.001d |
| Temperature (οC) | 37.5 (2.0) | 37.5 (2.0) | 0.364d |
| Parasite density (MPS/μl) | 18,983 (39,222) | 14,952 (44,241) | 0.340d |
| Geometric mean parasitemia/μl | 13,849 | 10,667 | 0.984e |
| No. (%) of patients with: | |||
| HDP (≥10,000 parasites/μl) | 256 (64.0) | 71 (57.7) | 0.209c |
| Sickle cell trait | 62 (15.5) | 12 (9.8) | 0.110c |
| G6PD deficiency | 45 (11.3) | 9 (7.3) | 0.210c |
a
WBCs, white blood cells; MPS, malaria parasites; HDP, high-density parasitemia; G6PD deficiency, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.
b
Data are presented as medians (interquartile ranges [IQRs]) unless otherwise noted. SMA was categorized according to the WHO definition (i.e., Hb < 5.0 g/dl, with any density of parasitemia) (48).
c
Statistical significance determined by the chi-square analysis.
d
Statistical significance determined by Mann-Whitney U test. (Significant differences are in bold.)
e
Statistical significance determined by Student's t test.