Table 2. Comparison of complication rates in P. vivax versus P. falciparum infections, Orakzai Agency, Pakistan, 2011–2013^a.

Complications	Case definitionb	No. (%) P. vivax cases, n = 121	Odds ratio (CI)	p value	No. (%)P. falciparum cases, n = 21	Odds ratio (CI)	p value
Jaundice	Plasma or serum bilirubin >50 mM (>3.0 mg/dL) and parasite count >100, 000/μL	6 (5.0)	3.5 (0.7–17.9)	0.102	3 (14.3)	11.3 (1.7–72.4)	0.017
Hypoglycemia	Blood or plasma glucose concentration <2.2 mM (<40 mg/dL)	12 (9.9)	2.9 (1.0–8.5)	0.036	1 (4.8)	1.3 (0.1–11.9)	0.579
Decompensated Shock	Systolic blood pressure <70 mm Hg in children and <80 mm Hg in adults with evidence of impaired perfusion (cool peripheries or prolonged capillary refill)	64 (53.0)	21.0 (9.0–48.6)	<0.001	9 (42.9)	14.0 (4.4–44.3)	<0.001
Multiple convulsions	Generalized seizures (particularly in children), twitching of a digit, repetitive jerky eye movements with deviation, or increased salivation	10 (8.3)	2.4 (0.7–7.2)	0.092	2 (9.5)	2.8 (0.5–15.4)	0.232
Hyperparasitaemia	P. falciparum parasitaemia >10% of total red cells or lower parasitaemias in case of P. vivax	7 (5.6)	8.4 (1.0–69.3)	0.021	1 (4.8)	6.8 (0.4–113.9)	0.247
Anemia	A Hg concentration <5 g/dL in children or <7 g/dL in adults together with a parasite count >10,000/μL	12 (9.9)	2.4 (0.8–6.6)	0.065	4 (19.0)	5.1 (1.3–20.2)	0.028
Hyperpyrexia	Body temperature >38°C	10 (8.3)	1.2(0.5–3.3)	0.382	1 (4.8)	0.7 (0.08–5.9)	0.609

^a WHO, World Health Organization; CI, Confidence Interval; Hg, hemoglobin.

^b Case definition was based on the WHO criteria [14].