Table 1.
Baseline Demographic Characteristics and Clinical and Laboratory Values
| Variable | Healthy Controls (n=36) | Patients With Moderately Severe Malaria (n=32) | Patients With Severe Malaria (n=29) | Patients With Severe Sepsis (n=20) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y, mean (range) | 29 (19–54) | 31 (18–50) | 30 (18–55) | 30 (20–50) |
| Male sex | 27 (75) | 17 (53) | 23 (79) | 14 (70) |
| Current smoker | 14 (39) | 10 (31) | 11 (38) | 8 (40) |
| Fever duration before presentation, d, mean (range) | NA | 4 (1–14) | 5 (1–14) | 5 (1–12) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg, mean (range)a | 118 (101–140) | 106 (95–136) | 110 (78–153) | 105 (61–152) |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg, mean (range)a | 70 (57–89) | 63 (47–90) | 63 (40–90) | 64 (31–85) |
| Pulse, beats/min, mean (range)a | 67 (52–108) | 82 (55–115) | 93 (70–120) | 109 (69–175) |
| Oxygen saturation, %, mean (range) | 99 (96–100) | 99 (94–100) | 97 (75–100) | 97 (86–100) |
| Temperature, °C, mean (range) a | 36.3 (35–37) | 37.1 (35.3–40.4) | 37.3 (35.1–39.6) | 37.5 (35.4–39.4) |
| White blood cell count, ×103 cells/µL, mean (range) a | 6.3 (2.8–9.2) | 4.9 (2–11.6) | 9.5 (2.7–18.5) | 14.3 (1.7–39) |
| Hemoglobin level, g/dL, mean (range)* | 12.9 (8.8–16.5) | 11.0 (6.8–15) | 10.6 (6.1–17) | 11.3 (6.8–14.6) |
| Platelet count, ×109 platelets/L, mean (range)a | 158 (112–247) | 54 (12–143) | 50 (11–188) | 112 (22–229) |
| Creatinine level, mmol/L, mean (range)a | NA | 94 (22–180) | 317 (66–1190) | 184 (57–626) |
| Lactate level, mmol/L, mean (range)a | NA | 1.3 (0.45–3.2) | 4.3 (0.54–15.5) | 2.9 (1.0–8.4) |
| Parasite density, parasites/µL, geometric mean (95% CI)a | NA | 9953 (6892–13 564) | 44 070 (11 240–180 797) | NA |
| Carboxyhemoglobin level, %, mean (95% CI)a | ||||
| Overall | 3.6 (3–5) | 7 (5–8) | 10 (8–13) | 8 (5–12) |
| Smokers | 5 (3–7) | 8 (2–13) | 11 (8–14) | 4 (2–7) |
| Nonsmokers | 3 (2–5) | 6 (4–8) | 9 (4–14) | 11 (6–16) |
| Methemoglobin level, %, median (IQR)a | 0.6 (0.4–0.9) | 0.8 (0.7–1.6) | 1.2 (0.9–1.4) | 1 (0.7–1.6) |
| O2-carrying capacity, mL O2/dL, mean (range)a,b | 15.9 (9.4–21.2) | 12.9 (6.3–17.6) | 12.8 (4.5–20.1) | 13.3 (7.5–17.1) |
Data are no. (%) of subjects, unless otherwise indicated.
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; IQR, interquartile range.
a P < .05 (by analysis of variance, the Kruskal-Wallis test, or the χ2 test for comparison o patients with severe malaria, patients with moderately severe malaria, and healthy controls).
b Calculated as [1.34 × hemoglobin level] × [oxygenated hemoglobin level], where hemoglobin level is given in g/dL and the oxygenated hemoglobin level is defined as the O2 saturation level – carboxyhemoglobin level – methemoglobin level.