Figure 3.

Associations of plasma and CSF sST2 concentration with cognitive outcomes in children with cerebral malaria or severe malarial anemia.

Associations between CSF and plasma levels of sST2 (log10 transformed) with cognitive outcomes in children with CM <5 years old at the time of CM episode (A) and throughout the 24-month follow-up period, children who turned 5 years old during follow-up and underwent cognitive testing using tests for children over 5 years old (B), and children who were over 5 years old at time of CM episode and throughout follow-up (C). (D–F) Associations between CSF and plasma levels of sST2 (log10 transformed) with cognitive outcomes in children with SMA for the same age groups. Data are presented as beta coefficient and 95% confidence interval from a linear mixed effects model. (Red) sST2 concentration in CSF from children with CM, (blue) sST2 concentration in plasma from children with CM, (green) sST2 concentration in plasma from children with SMA. The model is adjusted for age, sex, height-for-age z-score, weight-for-age z-score, plasma levels of HRP2, and preschool education of study participants. See Supplementary Table 1 for beta coefficients and 95% confidence intervals for unadjusted analysis and sample sizes. *P<0.05.

Abbreviations: CM, cerebral malaria; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; SMA, severe malarial anemia; CI, confidence interval