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Table 1 General characteristics and laboratory findings on admission of 100 consecutive travellers with imported malaria, subdivided by causative Plasmodium species and disease severity.

From: Procalcitonin as a biomarker for severe Plasmodium falciparum disease: a critical appraisal of a semi-quantitative point-of-care test in a cohort of travellers with imported malaria

 

Non-P. falciparum malaria

Uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria

Severe P. falciparum malaria

P value

 

(n = 29)

(n = 65)

(n = 6)

 

Male/female

22/7

47/18

4/2

0,8790

Age (year)

36 (15 - 62)

36 (9 - 67)

48 (29 - 55)

0,2077

Continent of acquisition

    

   Africa

11

62

5

 

   Asia

11

2

-

 

   South America

6

-

1

 

Parasite load (trophozoites per uL)

-

3422 (23 - 385000)

174900 (80500 - 567000)

0,0002

Plasma lactate (mmol/L)

1,3 (0,7 - 2,2) *

1,5 (0,9 - 4,4) *

2,7 (1,8 - 5,8)

0,0083

ESR (mm/h)

19 (3 - 82)

16 (1 - 73)

17 (11 - 54)

0,1400

Haemoglobin (mmol/L)

8,0 (4,6 - 10,1)

8,7 (5,2 - 11,1) °

7,4 (4,0 - 10,2)

0,0297

Leucocytes (× 109/L)

4,7 (1,9 - 9,3)

4,9 (1,8 - 9,0)

6,6 (3,2 - 18,5)

0,3867

Platelets (× 109/L)

95 (28 - 167) *

80 (11 - 247) *

22 (3 - 36)

0,0010

C-reactive protein (mg/L)

84 (18 -208) *

109 (5 - 280) #

175 (151 - 265)

0,0056

Plasma glucose (mmol/L)

6,6 (4,9 - 8,2)

6,8 (4,1 - 14,9)

5,9 (4,5 - 7,6)

0,3100

Serum creatinine (umol/L)

91 (62 - 223) *

95 (56 - 208) *

153 (112 - 199)

0,0028

Serum LDH (U/L)

474 (278 - 1133) *

554 (238 - 1234) *

1272 (787 - 2216)

0,0011

Serum total bilirubin (umol/L)

24 (10 - 84) *

26 (4 - 164) *

65 (39 - 269)

0,0033

  1. * P < 0.01, compared with severe P. falciparum malaria
  2. ° P < 0.05, compared with non-P. falciparum malaria
  3. # P < 0.05, compared with severe P. falciparum malaria