Table 1.
Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of study participants at enrollment.
| Characteristics | Aparasitemic | UM (Hb ≥ 5.0 g/dL) | SMA (Hb < 5.0 g/dL) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic parameters | ||||
| Sample size (n) | 302 | 1009 | 306 | |
| Sex, n (%) | ||||
| Female | 153 (50.66) | 497 (49.26) | 156 (50.98) | 0.822a |
| Male | 149 (49.34) | 512 (50.74) | 150 (49.02) | |
| Age (months) | 11.04 (13.20) | 12.67 (10.50) | 9.88 (10.60)** | <0.001b |
| Hematological indices and parasitemia | ||||
| Hematocrit (Hct. %) | 32.90 (7.80) | 25.30 (8.90) | 14.30 (3.80)** | <0.001b |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 10.35 (2.50) | 7.70 (2.90) | 4.30 (1.20)** | <0.001b |
| RBCs (×1012/µL) | 4.65 (1.11) | 3.78 (1.41) | 1.91 (0.69)** | <0.001b |
| MCV | 69.90 (10.25) | 68.80 (11.20) | 73.35 (13.77)** | <0.001b |
| MCH | 22.30 (3.80) | 21.30 (4.00) | 22.05 (4.30)** | <0.001b |
| MCHC | 31.70 (2.70) | 30.70 (2.60) | 30.20 (4.30)* | <0.001b |
| RDW | 18.50 (5.50) | 20.30 (4.60) | 22.75 (5.90)** | <0.001b |
| WBCs (×103/µL) | 11.00 (7.30) | 11.60 (6.50) | 14.40 (9.80)** | <0.001b |
| Monocytes (×103/µL) | 7.60 (4.2) | 7.90 (5.30) | 9.15 (6.80)** | <0.001b |
| Granulocytes (×103/µL) | 36.10 (20.50) | 44.90 (25.00) | 39.50 (21.00)** | <0.001b |
| Lymphocytes (×103/µL) | 55.80 (18080) | 46.35 (21.20) | 49.95 (17.10)* | <0.001b |
| Platelet counts (×103/µL) | 343.00 (224.50) | 152.00 (123.00) | 141.00 (93.50) | 0.001b |
| Parasite density (µL) | 0.00 (0.00) | 29,583.70 (79,084) | 23,242.35 (65,934)* | 0.008c |
| Genetic variants | ||||
| Sickle cell trait, n (%) | ||||
| HbAA | 230 (78.23) | 830 (83.17) | 271 (91.25)* | |
| HbAS | 55 (18.71) | 164 (16.43) | 20 (6.73)* | <0.001a |
| HbSS | 9 (3.06) | 4 (0.40) | 6 (2.21)* | |
| Co-infections | ||||
| Bacteremia, n (%) | 27 (9.03) | 61 (6.45) | 28 (10.11)* | 0.071a |
| HIV-1, n (%) | 12 (4.01) | 29 (2.88) | 26 (8.55)* | <0.001a |
Data presented are medians (interquartile range, IQR), unless otherwise stated.
aStatistical significance determined by Fisher’s exact test.
bDifferences were determined using Kruskal-Wallis tests, and where significant differences were observed, pairwise comparisons between UM and SMA group were performed using Mann-Whitney U tests. Boldface indicates a P value of ≤0.050. *Represents significant pairwise comparisons between UM and SMA P-value < 0.050, and ** represents P-value < 0.001.
cDifferences between UM and SMA group were performed using Mann-Whitney U tests and Fisher’s exact test (one-sided for Bacteremia and HIV-1, two-sided else).RBCs: red blood cells; MCV: Mean corpuscular volume; MCH: mean corpuscular hemoglobin; MCHCH: mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration; RDW: red blood cell distribution width; WBCs: white blood cells; Hb AA: hemoglobin AA; Hb AS: hemoglobin AS; Hb SS: hemoglobin SS.