Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of Ugandan children with cerebral malaria with versus without cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) kynurenic acid (KYNA) measurement
| Characteristic | Included children (N = 69a) | Excluded children (N = 200a) | P valuec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, median (inter-quartile range) | 3.3 (2.5, 4.4) | 3.5 (2.5, 4.9) | 0.71 |
| Sex, n, (% female) | 21 (30.4%) | 89 (44.5%) | 0.04 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL, mean (SD) | 7.0 (2.6) | 6.9 (2.2) | 0.72 |
| Parasitaemia, parasites/µL, median (IQR) (N) | 44,280 (12,920, 294,660) (65) | 48,420 (10,880, 262,060) (197) | 0.96 |
| Lactic acidosis presentb, n/N (%) | 20/65 (30.8%) | 69/185 (37.3%) | 0.34 |
| Malaria retinopathy present, n/N (%) | 43/68 (63.2%) | 124/187 (66.3) | 0.64 |
| Convulsions during illness (yes/no), n (%) | 64 (92.7%) | 187 (93.5%) | 0.83 |
| Number of convulsions in hospital, median (IQR) | 1 (0, 2) | 1 (0, 2) | 0.37 |
| Total hours in coma, median (IQR) (N) | 54 (40, 77) (66) | 44 (18.25, 80) (193) | 0.04 |
| Neurologic deficits at discharge, n/N (%) | 27/66 (40.9%) | 56/166 (33.7%) | 0.3 |
| Neurologic deficits, 12 mo follow-up, n/N (%) | 2/62 (3.2%) | 5/161 (3.1%) | 0.96 |
| CSF IFN-γ, pg/mL, median (IQR) (N) | 30.3 (16.1, 47.8) (52) | 20.5 (11.8, 26.1) (94) | 0.004 |
| CSF TNF-α, pg/mL, median (IQR) (N) | 1.8 (0.8, 3.3) (69) | 1.2 (0.1, 2.4) (110) | 0.02 |
IFN interferon, TNF tumour necrosis factor
aFor variables for which N is less than the total N listed for group, N’s for that variable and group are noted in the table
bLactate value >5 µmol/L
cWilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous variables, χ2 test for categorical variables