Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the patient population at admission
| Characteristic | Malaria | HIV | Malaria + HIV |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 61 | 58 | 70 |
| Age, years | 40 (18–79) | 39 (22–84) | 40 (20–65) |
| Sex, females (% (n)) | 41 (25) | 50 (29) | 50 (35) |
| Haemoglobin (g/dL) | 11.2 (3.2–17.0) | 8.9 (2.9–15.2) | 9.4 (2.5–15.7) |
| Leukocytes (× 109/L) | 6.9 (1.3–15.5) | 8.2 (0.3–25.4) | 7.8 (0.9–21.8) |
| Platelets (× 109/L) | 124 (11–452) | 220 (13–682) | 90 (8–330) |
| Se-Creatinine (µmol/L) | 127 (57–357) | 161 (41–873) | 223 (62–1529) |
| Se-Glucose (mmol/L) | 8.7 (3.6–40.5) | 6.1 (3.3–10.6) | 6.12 (1.5–27.0) |
| Liver failure (%)a | 5 (3/61) | 7 (4/57) | 17 (12/70) |
| Coagulation disturbance (%)b | 2 (1/61) | 0 | 13 (9/70) |
| Cerebral affection (%)c | 25 (15/61) | 33 (19/58) | 31 (22/70) |
| Systolic blood pressure | 122 (70–240) | 115 (90–160) | 115 (80–170) |
| Respiratory rate | 22 (12–68) | 29 (12–56) | 24 (16–42) |
| Case fatality rate (%) | 1.7 (1/59) | 27.8 (15/54) | 13.0d (9/69) |
| Duration of symptoms in days (median) | 4.2 (1–28) | 7 (1–365) | 8.6 (1–180) |
| Severe HIVe (%) | n.a | 83 (48/58) | 59 (41/70) |
| HIV viral load in copies/mL (median) | n.a | 1.3 × 104 | 1.8 × 104 |
| Median CD4 lymphocyte count (cells/μL)f | n.a | 136 | 206 |
| Effective ARTg prior to admission (%) | n.a | 19 (10/53) | 14 (9/64) |
Values in mean (min–max) or percentage and proportion. The 52 healthy controls are not included aDefined as jaundice/bilirubine > 50 µmol/L, bDefined as bleeding disturbances/hemolysis, cDefined as GCS ≤ 11, convulsions or confusion, dOne patient died of non-malarial cause, he was excluded, eSevere HIV = WHO stage 3 or 4, fCD4 T-cell count were only obtained in 8 (HIV only) and 11 (HIV + malaria) patients, gART = antiretroviral therapy = HIV treatment. ‘‘Effective’’ is defined as ‘‘Previous known ART and undetectable HIV-RNA in the plasma’’, in relation to all HIV-patients with and without malaria