Table 2.
Comparison of median and interquartile ranges in haematology values measured in nMI, UM, and SM cases
| Non-malaria infections (a), N = 978 | Uncomplicated malaria (b), N = 703 | a vs b | Severe malaria (c), N = 526 | b vs c | a vs c | a vs b vs c | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parameters | Median | IQR | Median | IQR | P value | Median | IQR | P value | P value | P value |
| WBC indices | ||||||||||
| WBC count (103/μL) | 9.3 | 7.0–12.8 | 8.3 | 6.3–10.8 | < 0.001 | 11.6 | 8.3–16.6 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Lymphocyte count (103/μL) | 3.0 | 2.0–4.5 | 1.9 | 1.3–3.0 | < 0.001 | 3.8 | 2.4–6.0 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Mixed cell count (103/μL) | 0.8 | 0.5–1.1 | 0.5 | 0.3–0.8 | < 0.001 | 0.9 | 0.5–1.4 | < 0.001 | 0.004 | < 0.001 |
| Neutrophil count (103/μL) | 4.8 | 3.3–7.6 | 5.4 | 3.7–7.6 | 0.115 | 6.5 | 4.4–9.4 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Lymphocyte percent (%) | 35.8 | 22.6–47.8 | 24.7 | 16.8–36.8 | < 0.001 | 33.9 | 26.5–44.4 | < 0.001 | 0.964 | < 0.001 |
| Mixed cell percent (%) | 8.6 | 6.7–11.0 | 6.9 | 5.0–9.2 | < 0.001 | 8.2 | 5.5–11.3 | < 0.001 | 0.012 | < 0.001 |
| Neutrophil percent (%) | 54.4 | 41.7–69.0 | 67.8 | 53.7–77.1 | < 0.001 | 55.8 | 46.6–66.2 | < 0.001 | 0.568 | < 0.001 |
| RBC indices | ||||||||||
| RBC count (106/μL) | 4.5 | 4.2–5.0 | 4.1 | 3.6–4.5 | < 0.001 | 2.4 | 1.7–3.2 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Hb level (g/dL) | 11.0 | 10.1–11.8 | 10.1 | 8.8–11.2 | < 0.001 | 5.6 | 4.1–7.4 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Haematocrit (%) | 34.5 | 32–37.1 | 31.1 | 27.2–34.8 | < 0.001 | 16.7 | 12.0–21.1 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| RBC distribution width (%) | 15.1 | 14.0–16.6 | 15.7 | 14.7–17.1 | < 0.001 | 18.1 | 16.2–20.1 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Mean cell volume (fL) | 76.0 | 71.2–80.3 | 76.0 | 72.0–81.0 | 0.510 | 70.0 | 64.7–75.4 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Mean corpuscular Hb (pg) | 23.7 | 21.8–25.6 | 24.9 | 23.0–26.4 | < 0.001 | 23.8 | 21.5–26.7 | 0.001 | 0.006 | < 0.001 |
| Mean cell Hb concentration (g/dL) | 31.6 | 29.6–32.5 | 32.3 | 31.5–33.3 | < 0.001 | 35.1 | 31.2–37.4 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Platelet indices | ||||||||||
| Platelet count (103/μL) | 292.0 | 226.0–360.0 | 140.0 | 92.0–216.0 | < 0.001 | 98.0 | 61.0–156.0 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Mean platelet volume (fL) | 8.2 | 7.6–8.9 | 8.1 | 7.5–8.9 | 0.186 | 6.9 | 6.4–7.8 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Platelet distribution width (fL) | 15.0 | 13.9–15.4 | 14.5 | 12.4–15.6 | 0.005 | 15 | 12.0–17.3 | < 0.001 | 0.121 | < 0.001 |
P value—Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s post hoc tests
P values were analysed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with post hoc tests. The parameters include WBC indices, RBC indices, and platelet indices. All the haematological parameters were significantly different between the nMI, UM, and SM (P < 0.001)