Table 2.
Clinical and Laboratory Findings in Children With Cerebral Malaria Who Survived Compared With Those Who Died
| Characteristic | Survived (n = 181) | Died (n = 23) | P Valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic and clinical findings | |||
| Age, mo, median (IQR) | 41.46 (31.05–52.17) | 35.63 (25.79–46.98) | .13 |
| Sex, male, No. (%) | 106 (58.56) | 14 (60.87) | .83 |
| Weight-for-age z score, mean (SD) | −1.25 (1.18) | −1.66 (1.29) | .13 |
| Seizures before admission, No. (%) | 171 (94.48) | 22 (95.65) | .81 |
| Deep acidotic breathing, No. (%) | 13 (7.18) | 3 (13.04) | .33 |
| Abnormal posturing, No. (%) | 12 (6.63) | 0 (0) | .20 |
| Blantyre coma scoreb, median (IQR) | 2 (1–2) | 2 (1–2) | .41 |
| Coma duration, h, median (IQR) | 13.00 (5.00–24.00) | 18.00 (8.00–24.00) | .17 |
| Seizures after admission, No. (%) | 100 (55.25) | 13 (56.52) | .91 |
| No. of seizures after admission, median (IQR) | 1 (0–2) | 1 (0–2) | .73 |
| Transfused, No. (%) | 112 (61.88) | 12 (52.17) | .37 |
| Clinical laboratory tests | |||
| Hemoglobin, g/dL, mean (SD) | 6.69 (2.24) | 7.63 (2.35) | .06 |
| White blood cell count, median (IQR) | 9.30 (6.70–13.90) | 10.70 (7.40–13.20) | .38 |
| Platelet count, median (IQR) | 61.00 (35.00–113) | 55.00 (35.00–83.00) | .34 |
| Hypoglycemiac, No. (%) | 12 (6.63) | 3 (13.04) | .27 |
| Plasmodium falciparum peripheral blood density, median (IQR) | 45 600 (11 780–302 060) | 49 040 (6480–121 100) | .53 |
| PfHRP-2 level, ng/mL, median (IQR) | 2486 (996–5112) | 3532 (1598–5822) | .15 |
| Endothelial and platelet activation markers | |||
| Soluble VCAM-1, ng/mL, median (IQR) | 3945 (2770–6601) | 3225 (2532–6018) | .23 |
| Soluble ICAM-1, ng/mL, median (IQR) | 621 (238–1400) | 976 (321–1864) | .16 |
| Soluble E-selectin, ng/mL, median (IQR) | 180 (137–246) | 189 (158–283) | .25 |
| Soluble P-selectin, ng/mL, median (IQR) | 53.07 (37.45–76.78) | 67.09 (48.53–82.99) | .05 |
| EPO levels | |||
| Plasma EPO, mU/mL, median (IQR) | 783 (288–2759) | 1566 (473–2852) | .39 |
| CSF EPO, mU/mLd, median (IQR) | 8.42 (4.20–17.64) | 9.70 (6.66–89.00) | .21 |
Abbreviations: CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; EPO, erythropoietin; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1; IQR, interquartile range; PfHRP-2, Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein-2; SD, standard deviation; VCAM-1, vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1.
a Variables with medians reported compared by Wilcoxon rank-sum score; means compared by Student t test; proportions compared by χ2 test.
b Blantyre coma score assessed in children <5 years of age; survived n = 139, died = 17.
c Hypoglycemia defined as blood glucose <2 mmol/L.
d CSF EPO testing performed in 138 children who survived and 9 children who died.