SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, CLINICAL, AND PATIENT OUTCOME IN MALARIA AMONG CHILDREN POPULATION IN SINDH PAKISTAN

Abstract

Objective: To study the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with a poor prognosis in pediatric malaria patients.

Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Pediatric Department, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro between October 2019 to May 2020. Children with a confirmed malaria diagnosis on parasitology were included in the study. Detailed history and thorough physical exam was performed. There were two possible outcomes, i) Recovery and ii) Expiry. A Chi-square test was applied to determine the association between variables and death occurrence.

Results: Mean age of the patient was 5.06 ± 1.89 years. There were 32 (26.67%) patients who developed three or more complications. We found that male gender (p=0.02), age less than one year (p=0.05), mixed species of malaria (p<0.0001), ≥ 3 complications (p<0.0001), and lengthier hospital stay (p=0.001) were significantly associated with a higher incidence of mortality.

Conclusion: We found that male gender, infants (age < one year), mixed species of both P. falciparum and P. Vivax, multiple complications, and increased duration of hospitalizations were strongly associated with a higher mortality rate among the pediatric population.