Table 1.
Characteristics of febrile patients admitted to a referral government hospital in rural Sierra Leone (N = 429)
| n | Median [IQR] or n (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Age (years) | 412 | 40 [29–60] |
| Female | 429 | 159 (37.1) |
| Occupation | 429 | |
| Unknown | 161 (37.5) | |
| Farmer | 66 (15.4) | |
| Housewife | 48 (11.2) | |
| Trader | 32 (7.5) | |
| Student | 34 (7.9) | |
| Teacher | 22 (5.1) | |
| Other | 66 (15.4) | |
| Admission profile | ||
| Season of admission* | 429 | |
| Dry | 196 (45.7) | |
| Rainy | 233 (54.3) | |
| Admission ward | 429 | |
| General adult | 396 (92.3) | |
| Lassa fever | 33 (7.7) | |
| Documented temperature ≥ 38°C | 394 | 125 (29.1) |
| Vitals | ||
| Temperature (°C) | 394 | 37.0 [36.4–38.1] |
| Pulse (beats/minute) | 402 | 84 [76–96] |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 395 | 120 [100–140] |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 393 | 80 [60–80] |
| Respiratory per minute | 344 | 22 [22–24] |
| Laboratory data | ||
| WBC (× 103 cells/μL) | 173 | 6.9 [5.0–10.8] |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 315 | 9.6 [8.0–11.2] |
| Creatinine (μM/L) | 163 | 122 [89–124] |
| HIV antibody test positive | 26 | 15 (57.7) |
| Diagnoses and treatment outcomes | ||
| Discharge diagnosis† | 429 | |
| Unknown | 229 (53.4) | |
| Malaria | 117 (27.3) | |
| Pneumonia | 22 (5.1) | |
| Lassa | 21 (4.9) | |
| Typhoid fever | 14 (3.3) | |
| Gastroenteritis | 14 (3.3) | |
| Other‡ | 28 (6.5) | |
| Treatment received | ||
| Antibiotics | 409 | 397 (97.1) |
| Antimalarials | 402 | 296 (73.6) |
| Length of hospital stay (days) | 422 | 6 [4–10] |
| In-hospital mortality | 429 | 81 (18.9) |
Percentages listed represent valid percentages and thus, may poorly reflect true sample prevalence in the setting of > 5% missing data.
Dry season is November 1 to April 30, and rainy season is May 1 to October 31.
Twenty-one individuals who received dual diagnoses had each diagnosis counted separately.
Other diagnoses included four cases of tuberculosis, four cases of urinary tract infections, two cases of acute Hepatitis B, three cases of sinusitis, two cases of Schistosoma infections, two cases of appendicitis, two cases of skin/soft tissue infections, and one case each of deep vein thrombosis, HIV, pharyngitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, hookworm, lung abscess, meningitis, strongyloidiasis, surgical site infection, and Hepatitis B cirrhosis.