Table 1. Baseline, comorbidity and outcome characteristics in 1225 disease episodes among 1180 children admitted to hospital with fever over one year.
Characteristic | Number or median (IQRa, range) |
Demographics | |
Number of episodes | 1225 |
Male | 668 (54.5%) |
Median (IQR, range) age (years) | 2.0 (0.8–6.4, 0.0–16.0) |
Numbers in each age range: | |
<28 days | 32 (2.6%) |
28 days to <1 year | 330 (26.9%) |
≥1 year to <5 years | 488 (39.8%) |
≥5 years to <16 years | 375 (30.6%) |
Origin | |
Acute transfer from other healthcare facility | 161 (13.2%) |
Residence in Siem Reap district | 269 (22.0%) |
Residence in Siem Reap province (not district) | 542 (44.2%) |
Residence in neighbouring provinces | 371 (30.3%) |
Residence in distant provinces | 43 (3.5%) |
Known comorbidity b | |
HIV infection | 58 (4.7%) |
Hepatitis B infection | 5 (0.4%) |
Hepatitis C infection | 1 (<0.1%) |
Mean weight-for-age z-score (95% CI) | –1.97 (–4.5–+0.3) |
Undernutrition (weight-for-age z-score <2 standard deviations below mean in those <5 yrs of age) | 371 (43.4%) |
Congenital or rheumatic heart disease (on echocardiograpy) | 81 (6.6%) |
Severe anaemia (<7.0 g/dL) on admission | 99 (8.1%) |
Inpatient episode | |
Median (IQR) duration of fever before hospitalisation (days) | 3 (2–5)c |
Median (IQR, range) duration of hospitalisation (days) | 4 (3–8, 0–123) |
Admitted to critical care unit at least once during admission | 300 (24.5%) |
Requiring respiratory support | 192 (15.7%) |
Needing CPAP alone | 81 (7.3%) |
Needing mechanical ventilation | 111 (9.1%) |
Mortality | |
Died or discharged to die at home | 69 (5.6%) |
Median (IQR, range) time to death (n = 69) (days) | 4 (2–10, 0–123) |
IQR interquartile range.
n = 1180 children except the z-score which was generated for those children <5 years of age using WHO (2006) data where n = 855.
3 children had caregiver reported fever for >1 month.