Characteristics of severe malaria in hospitalized children in Ho Chi Minh City from 2012 to 2019
https://doi.org/10.47665/tb.38.3.082
- Author:
Ha, M.T.
1
;
Ho, T.A.T.
2
;
Nguyen, A.N.
1
;
Nguyen, T.A.
3
Author Information
1. University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, 700000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2. Khanh Hoa General Hospital, Nha Trang City, 650000 Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam
3. Molecular Biomedical Center, University Medical Center - Campus 2, 700000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Plasmodium sp.;
pediatric;
severe malaria;
Vietnam
- From:Tropical Biomedicine
2021;38(No.3):371-376
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
In Vietnam, severe malaria is currently rare but is a life-threatening disease. It may be
misdiagnosed with other common diseases. This descriptive study aimed to characterize
severe malaria and its clinical aspects, as well as outcomes of infected pediatric patients
to improve case management. The case-series study was carried out based on medical
records of children aged between one month and 15 years with malaria diagnosed by blood
smear or rapid diagnostic test. Chi-squared test with the p values less than 0.05 were
considered statistically significant. There were 47 cases enrolled in the study. The prevalence
of severe malaria was 29.8% (57.1% in children under five). The morbidity was 71.4% in male
and 28.6% in female. Common clinical signs of severe malaria were fever (100%), severe
anemia (21.4%), hepatomegaly (85.7%), and splenomegaly (71.4%). Common biological
abnormalities in severe malaria were anemia, thrombocytopenia, increased liver enzymes,
and high CRP level. The severe malaria was mainly caused by P. falciparum (100%). The age
range for those infected with P. falciparum was 6.5 ± 4.5 years (min 0.3; max 14.9). The successful
rate of treatment was 92.9% with artesunate. Antimalarial treatment time was 9.0 (6 – 12)
days for severe malaria, which was twice as many as that for non-severe malaria (p = 0.067).
The current clinical and biological findings of severe malaria are different from those in
previous times, which make it easy to be overlooked. Therefore, it’s important to perform
malaria diagnostic tests when there’re clinical suggestions of severe malaria, including
fever, hepatomegaly or splenomegaly.
- Full text:8.2021my1279.pdf
