Table 2.
Presenting symptoms in Malawian children younger than 5 years without sepsis (malarial and non-malarial fever) and with sepsis (malarial and non-malarial sepsis)
| Symptom | No sepsis | Sepsis | P-value across groups | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malarial fever (N = 29) | Non-malarial fever (N = 25) | Malarial sepsis (N = 17) | Non-malarial sepsis (N = 16) | ||
| Fever duration (days), mean (range) | 2.1 (1–3) | 1.7 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) | 2.2 (1–4) | 0.48 |
| Vomiting, n (%) | 9 (31) | 10 (40) | 4 (24) | 11 (69) | 0.038 |
| Diarrhea, n (%) | 6 (21) | 7 (28) | 4 (24) | 3 (19) | 0.9 |
| Cough, n (%) | 14 (48) | 11 (44) | 5 (29) | 11 (69) | 0.15 |
| Increased work of breathing, n (%) | 1 (4) | 0 (0) | 7 (41) | 10 (63) | Not applicable |
| Spleen grade 1, n (%) | 7 (24) | 1 (4) | 6 (35) | 1 (6.2) | 0.029 |
A P-value is provided for the comparison across all four groups. Tests of significance: chi-squared (percents); ANOVA (means). A P-value for increased work of breathing is not included as it is a SIRS criterion used to define subgroups.