Table 2.
Risk factors for SA in children with SA compared with control groups
| Risk factors, n (%) | SA (N = 284) | Control groups | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-SA (N = 63) | SA vs. controls* | |||
| Clinical | ||||
| Recent malarial infection | 143 (50.4) | 10 (15.9) | 17 (32.1) | < 0.001 |
| Severe acute malnutrition | 19 (6.7) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0.004 |
| Infection or infection-related | ||||
| Malaria parasitemia | 103 (36.5) | 5 (7.9) | 5 (9.4) | < 0.001 |
| Blackwater fever | 93 (32.7) | 1 (1.6) | 0/53 (0) | < 0.001 |
| Hookworm infection | 16/222 (7.2) | 1/50 (2.0) | 2/21 (9.5) | 0.374 |
| HIV infection | 7 (2.5) | 2 (3.2) | 0 (0) | 0.650 |
| Bacteremia | 3/54 (5.6) | 0/9 (0.0) | – | 0.469 |
| Micronutrient deficiency | ||||
| Vitamin B12 deficiency | 44 (15.5) | 6 (9.5) | – | 0.222 |
| Folate deficiency | 5 (1.8) | 0 (0.0) | – | 0.289 |
| Markers of inflammation | ||||
| C-reactive protein† (mg/L), mean (SD) | 5.4 (1.0) | 2.8 (2.4) | 0.2 (1.8) | < 0.001 |
| Ferritin level‡ (mg/L), mean (SD) | 8.1 (1.7) | 4.9 (1.6) | 4.1 (1.4) | < 0.001 |
CC = community children; SA = severe anemia.
*
Control = non-SA and CC combined.
†
Data available for SA, n = 277; log values presented.
‡
Data available for SA, n = 278; log values presented.