Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Baseline characteristics | Mesalazine arm | Placebo arm |
|---|---|---|
| Number enrolled | 22 | 22 |
| Age (months) | 19 (14 to 32) | 19 (15 to 29) |
| Sex: Male | 10 (45) | 11 (50) |
| Female | 12 (55) | 11 (50) |
| Household income category (USD/day)a | $2 to $4 | $2 to $4 |
| Number of people living in the house | 5 (4 to 7) | 5 (4 to 5) |
| Access to improved drinking water sourceb | 100% | 100% |
| Access to improved toilet facility | 50% | 41% |
| MUAC (cm) | 12.9 (11.2 to 14.4) | 12.7 (11.2 to 13.8) |
| Height-for-age z-score | −3.13 (−3.83 to -2.71) | −3.73 (−4.60 to -2.81) |
| Nutritional edema | 15 (68) | 17 (77) |
| Current breastfeedingc | 11 (50) | 5 (23) |
| Symptoms: Fever | 10 (45) | 8 (36) |
| Cough | 9 (41) | 6 (27) |
| Diarrhea | 5 (23) | 5 (23) |
| Biochemistry: Creatinine (umol/L) | 18 (17 to 23) | 19 (17 to 22) |
| AST (IU/L) | 37 (27 to 52) | 40 (32 to 49) |
| ALT (IU/L) | 24 (12 to 31) | 17 (15 to 30) |
| CRP (mg/L) | 6.0 (1.3 to 10.8) | 6.8 (1.6 to 42.2) |
| Hematology: Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 10.3 (7.9 to11.2) | 9.6 (8.2 to 10.6) |
| WBC count (x 109/L) | 12.0 (9.9 to 15.1) | 11.8 (9.3 to 13.6) |
| Platelet count (x 109/L) | 555 (423 to 666) | 536 (282 to 692) |
| ESR (mm/hour) | 32 (24 to 38) | 33 (28 to 44) |
aMedian and IQR for both arms all fell within the $2 to $4 category. bMostly communal taps from which water must be purchased. Lack of resources was reported to limit access. c P = 0.06. Data are medians (inter-quartile range) or numbers (%). ALT, alanine transaminase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; CRP, C-reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; MUAC, mid-upper arm circumference; WBC, white blood cell.