Table 1.
Clinical and laboratory characteristics of case-patients
| Characteristic | HbAA | HbAS | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| All admissions (n, %) | 16,502 (90.21) | 1791 (9.79) | n/a |
| Median age (IQR; months) | 17.5 (7.2–35.4) | 14.3 (5.2–31.8) | 0.0001 |
| Mean WAZ (95% CI) | −1.69 (−1.71, −1.67) | −1.59 (−1.66, −1.52) | 0.0075 |
| Mean HAZ (95% CI) | −1.33 (−1.36, −1.30) | −1.30 (−1.39, −1.22) | 0.613 |
| Mean parasite density (95% CI; parasites/mcl)a | 28,597 (27,015–30,270) | 10,002 (7686–13,015) | <0.0001 |
| Mean hemoglobin (95% CI g/L) | 91.4 (90.9–91.9) | 98.0 (96.6–99.3) | <0.0001 |
| Mean MCV (95% CI) | 74.1 (73.9–74.3) | 72.5 (71.8–73.2) | <0.0001 |
| Median WBC (IQR; ×109/mcl) | 12.0 (8.7–16.7) | 12.9 (9.1–17.7) | <0.0001 |
| Median platelets (IQR; ×106/L) | 273 (134–442) | 373 (227–528) | <0.0001 |
The data summarized reflect the clinical and laboratory features of hospital-admitted case-patients only, stratified by HbS genotype. P values estimated by use of Student’s t test, χ2, or Mann–Whitney tests as appropriate in comparison to HbAA children
WAZ weight-for-age Z-score, HAZ height-for-age Z-score
aGeometric mean densities among children with positive slides (7222 (43.8%) of HbAA and 384 (21.4%) of HbAS children)