Table 3.
Outcomes of Plasmodium falciparum patients treated with dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine
| Children (≤ 15 years) (N = 22) | Adults (N = 49) | Total (N = 71) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients positive for asexual parasitemia (%)* | |||
| Day 1 | 7 (31.82%) | 25 (51.02%) | 32 (45.07%) |
| Day 2 | 4 (18.18%) | 14 (28.57%) | 18 (25.35%) |
| Day 3 | 1 (4.55%) | 4 (8.16%) | 5 (7.04%) |
| Parasite clearance time (hour) (geometric mean [95% CI]) | 32.6 (23.7–41.6) | 39.0 (32.3–45.6) | 36.9 (31.5–42.3) |
| 42-day cure rate | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Patients positive for sexual forms (%)† | |||
| Day 0 | 8 (36.36%) | 11 (22.45%) | 19 (26.76%) |
| Day 1 | 4 (18.18%) | 6 (12.24%) | 10 (14.08%) |
| Day 2 | 4 (18.18%) | 4 (18.18%) | 8 (11.27%) |
| Day 3 | 3 (13.64%) | 4 (18.18%) | 7 (9.86%) |
| Day 7 | 1 (4.55%) | 2 (4.08%) | 3 (4.23%) |
| Day 14 | 0 | 1 (2.04%) | 1 (1.41%) |
| Patients gametocyte positive during day 1–14 | 5 (22.73%) | 8 (16.33%) | 13 (18.31%) |
CI = confidence interval.
*
No significant difference in daily numbers of asexual stage–positive patients between the two age groups (P > 0.05, Fisher's exact test).
†
No significant difference in daily numbers of gametocyte-positive patients between the two age groups (P > 0.05, Fisher's exact test).