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Table 1 Study population characteristics

From: Malaria causes long-term effects on markers of iron status in children: a critical assessment of existing clinical and epidemiological tools

Description

N

Value

Child characteristics

 Age (geometric mean, range)

97

3.8 years (1; 12)

 Age < 60 months

97

63

 Female

98

44

 Nutritional status

  Height (mean ± 2SD)

71

98 cm (69.2; 128.6)

  Weight (geometric mean ± 2SD)

98

14.4 kg (7.7; 26.6)

  Stunted (children < 60 months)a

45

13 (29%)

  Underweight (children < 60 months)a

63

11 (17%)

  Low BMI-for-age (children > 60 months)b

26

8 (31%)

Admission

 Hospital admission (yes/no)

98

60/38

 Admission length (median, IQR)

60

3 days (2; 4)

 Clinical malaria (uncomplicated/severe)

98

68/30

 Clinical co-infection on presentation (yes/no)c

98

22/76

Laboratory parameters

 Malaria parasitaemia on presentation (geometric mean ± 2SD)

98

40,326 IEs/µL (3465; 469,356)

 Haemoglobin on presentation (geometric mean ± 2SD)

98

9.5 g/dL (6.7; 13.5)

 Anaemia level on presentation (no anaemia/mild/moderate)d

98

24/60/14

 Iron deficiency on day 42 (ferritin < 15 µg/L)

52

4

 Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (normal enzyme activity/partial defect/full defect)e

54

39/4/11

 Sickle cell genotype (AA/AC/AF/AS)

98

85/8/2/3

 Raised C-reactive protein on day 0 (> 5 mg/L)

94

93

 Raised α-1-acid glycoprotein on day 0 (> 1 g/L)

92

90

 Positive stool microscopy for anaemia-causing pathogenic organismsf

74

4

Antimalarial treatment prior to hospital attendance

98

19

Antimalarial treatment prescribed (quinine i.v. + artemether–lumefantrine follow-on/artemether–lumefantrine only)

98

44/54

  1. N = Number of children; Value = Number of children unless otherwise specified
  2. aStunting and underweight are defined as height-for-age and weight-for-age, respectively, < − 2 standard deviations of the WHO Growth Reference [46]
  3. bLow BMI-for-age is defined as BMI-for-age < − 2 standard deviations of the WHO Growth Reference [46]
  4. cDermatitis (N = 2), gastroenteritis (N = 10), lower respiratory tract infections (N = 3), suspected sepsis (N = 2), upper respiratory tract infections (N = 2), urinary tract infections (N = 3)
  5. dNo anaemia (Hb ≥ 11 g/dL), mild anaemia (Hb 8–11 g/dL), moderate anaemia (Hb 5–8 g/dL)
  6. eTested on day 42
  7. hHookworm, Hymenopelis nana, Schistosoma mansoni or Strongyloides stercoralis. No children were excluded from the study based on stool findings