Table 2.
Association between clinical parameters among patients with SARS-CoV-2 and P falciparum infection and previous malaria exposure
| Overall (n=597) |
Patients with COVID-19 by malaria infection and exposure category |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current malaria infection |
Previous malaria exposure |
|||||||
| Malaria (n=70) | No malaria (n=527) | Fisher's exact p value | Low (n=53) | Medium (n=418) | High (n=56) | Fisher's exact p value | ||
| Presence of signs and symptoms | ||||||||
| Fever | 121 (20%) | 15 (21%) | 106 (20%) | 0·75 | 17 (32%) | 92 (22%) | 6 (11%) | 0·024 |
| Cough | 198 (33%) | 19 (27%) | 179 (34%) | 0·34 | 27 (51%) | 150 (36%) | 13 (23%) | 0·012 |
| Runny nose | 129 (22%) | 11 (16%) | 118 (22%) | 0·22 | 9 (17%) | 103 (25%) | 10 (18%) | 0·30 |
| Shortness of breath | 98 (16%) | 13 (19%) | 85 (16%) | 0·61 | 23 (43%) | 71 (17%) | 3 (5%) | 0·0010 |
| Muscle pains | 22 (4%) | 3 (4%) | 19 (4%) | 0·73 | 0 | 20 (5%) | 1 (2%) | 0·23 |
| Confusion | 12 (2%) | 4 (6%) | 8 (2%) | 0·040 | 1 (2%) | 9 (2%) | 0 | 0·72 |
| Headache | 112 (19%) | 16 (23%) | 96 (18%) | 0·33 | 13 (25%) | 81 (19%) | 11 (20%) | 0·67 |
| Sore throat | 49 (8%) | 2 (3%) | 47 (9%) | 0·10 | 5 (9%) | 38 (9%) | 4 (7%) | 0·92 |
| Chest pain | 84 (14%) | 8 (11%) | 76 (14%) | 0·59 | 17 (32%) | 61 (15%) | 4 (7%) | 0·0010 |
| Diarrhoea | 20 (3%) | 4 (6%) | 16 (3%) | 0·28 | 3 (6%) | 16 (4%) | 1 (2%) | 0·53 |
| Vomiting | 9 (2%) | 4 (6%) | 5 (1%) | 0·014 | 0 | 7 (2%) | 2 (4%) | 0·43 |
| Fatigue | 17 (3%) | 1 (1%) | 16 (3%) | 0·71 | 3 (6%) | 13 (3%) | 0 | 0·21 |
| Red eyes | 4 (1%) | 0 | 4 (1%) | 1·00 | 1 (2%) | 3 (1%) | 0 | 0·39 |
| COVID-19 severity | ||||||||
| Asymptomatic | 255 (43%) | 36 (51%) | 219 (42%) | 0·084 | 13 (25%) | 155 (37%) | 32 (57%) | 0·0010 |
| Mild | 233 (39%) | 18 (26%) | 215 (41%) | 0·084 | 17 (32%) | 183 (44%) | 20 (36%) | 0·0010 |
| Moderate | 45 (8%) | 6 (9%) | 38 (7%) | 0·084 | 7 (13%) | 35 (8%) | 1 (2%) | 0·0010 |
| Severe or critical | 64 (11%) | 10 (14%) | 54 (10%) | 0·084 | 16 (30%) | 45 (11%) | 3 (5%) | 0·0010 |
| Comorbidities | ||||||||
| Tuberculosis | 3 (1%) | 0 | 3 (1%) | 1·00 | 0 | 3 (1%) | 0 | 1·00 |
| Diabetes | 49 (8%) | 7 (10%) | 42 (8%) | 0·64 | 12 (23%) | 28 (7%) | 2 (4%) | 0·0010 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 1 (<1%) | 1 (1%) | 0 | 0·12 | 0 | 1 (<1%) | 0 | 1·00 |
| Asthma | 8 (1%) | 0 (0%) | 8 (2%) | 1·00 | 4 (8%) | 4 (1%) | 0 | 0·014 |
| Obesity | 16 (3%) | 3 (4%) | 13 (3%) | 0·42 | 5 (9%) | 10 (2%) | 1 (2%) | 0·031 |
| Heart disease | 23 (4%) | 2 (3%) | 21 (4%) | 1·00 | 7 (13%) | 14 (3%) | 0 | 0·0030 |
| HIV | 35 (6%) | 5 (7%) | 30 (6%) | 0·59 | 1 (2%) | 21 (5%) | 4 (7%) | 0·43 |
| Hypertension | 149 (25%) | 11 (16%) | 138 (26%) | 0·057 | 20 (38%) | 100 (24%) | 12 (21%) | 0·085 |
| Clinical outcomes | ||||||||
| Discharged in good condition | 479 (80%) | 57 (81%) | 422 (80%) | 0·56 | 32 (60%) | 334 (80%) | 48 (86%) | 0·094 |
| Discharged with sequelae | 7 (1%) | 0 | 7 (1%) | 0·56 | 0 | 6 (1%) | 0 | 0·094 |
| Admitted to intensive-care unit | 31 (5%) | 4 (6%) | 27 (5%) | 0·56 | 7 (13%) | 22 (5%) | 2 (4%) | 0·094 |
| Died | 9 (2%) | 2 (3%) | 7 (1%) | 0·56 | 2 (4%) | 7 (2%) | 0 | 0·094 |