Table 1.
Clinical and demographic characteristics of children with severe anemia and P falciparum parasitemia, by hemoglobin genotype
| Baseline characteristics | HbSS, n = 22 | HbAA, n = 208 | P*,† |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic | |||
| No. of male patients (%) | 13 (59.1) | 127 (61.1) | .86 |
| Median age (IQR), y | 4.6 (3.7, 5.7) | 2.7 (2.0, 4.1) | <.001 |
| Mean height-for-age z-score (±SD) | −0.51 ± 0.85 (n = 21) | −1.2 ± 1.4 (n = 205) | .03 |
| Mean weight-for-age z-score (±SD) | −1.0 ± −0.9 | −1.5 ± 1.1 | .04 |
| Clinical | |||
| Median admission temperature (IQR), °C | 37.7 (37.0, 38.4) | 37.7 (36.8, 38.5) | .83 |
| Mean heart rate ± SD, beats/min | 144 ± 23.7 | 149 ± 20.9 | .27 |
| Mean systolic blood pressure ± SD, mm Hg | 95.2 ± 10.7 | 90.5 ± 13.3 | .05 |
| Median diastolic blood pressure (IQR), mm Hg | 56 (46, 66) | 55 (45, 61) | .51 |
| Mean respiratory rate ± SD, breaths/min | 43.8 ± 13.7 | 45.8 ± 13.4 (n = 207) | .50 |
| Mean O2 saturation‡ ± SD, % | 96.2 ± 2.6 | 96.4 ± 3.6 (n = 207) | .80 |
| Respiratory distress,§ % (95% CI) | 27.3 (8.7, 45.9) | 27.9 (21.7, 34.0) | .96 |
| Deep acidotic breathing, % (95% CI) | 9.1 (0.0, 22) | 6.7 (3.3, 10) | .70 |
| Capillary refill > 2 s, % (95% CI) | 9.1 (0.0, 22) | 19.7 (14.3, 25.2) | .22 |
| Palpable spleen (%) | 11 (50.0) | 136 (65.4) | .15 |
For tests that did not include all participants, the n is listed next to the result.
IQR, interquartile range.
*
Determined by use of χ2 for categorical data, Student t test for parametric continuous data, and Wilcoxon rank-sum test for nonparametric continuous data, as appropriate.
†
P < .05 regarded as significant. Bold P value represents significant differences.
‡
O2 saturation is peripheral capillary oxygen saturation.
§
Respiratory distress includes nasal flaring, intercostal recessions, chest indrawing, and/or deep acidotic breathing.