Quinine (N = 399) | Artesunate (N = 350) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
2–59 months (N = 248) | >5 years (N = 151) | 2–59 months (N = 215) | >5 years (N = 135) | |
Sex | ||||
Female | 122 (49 %) | 72 (48 %) | 115 (53 %) | 71 (53 %) |
Age | 24 (7–53) | 10 (5–48) | 24 (7–48) | 8 (5–48) |
Medical history (past 30 days) | ||||
Other malaria episode | 18 (7 %) | 7 (5 %) | 16 (7 %) | 16 (12 %) |
Fever (N = 398) | 90 (37 %) | 78 (52 %) | 59 (27 %) | 76 (56 %) |
Pretreatment with anti-malarial | 31 (12 %) | 20 (13 %) | 20 (9 %) | 20 (15 %) |
Other treatment(s) received | 113 (46 %) | 75 (50 %) | 98 (46 %) | 83 (61 %) |
Other major health problem(s) | 6 (2 %) | 3 (2 %) | 0 (0 %) | 4 (3 %) |
Episode of convulsion (N = 394) | 34 (14 %) | 10 (7 %) | 13 (6 %) | 11 (8 %) |
Known hypersensitivity to other drugs | 0 (0 %) | 5 (3 %) | 2 (1 %) | 5 (7 %) |
Signs and symptoms on admission | ||||
Fever | 220 (89 %) | 129 (85 %) | 197 (92 %) | 121 (90 %) |
Fever before enrolment (days and range) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (2–5) | 3 (1–7) | 3 (1–7) |
Vomiting | 100 (40 %) | 78 (52 %) | 113 (53 %) | 78 (58 %) |
Coma | 23 (9 %) | 12 (8 %) | 5 (2 %) | 11 (8 %) |
Reported convulsions | 72 (29 %) | 19 (13 %) | 59 (27 %) | 14 (10 %) |
Blantyre coma score (8–24 months) | 3 (2–5) | − | 4 (3–8) | − |
Glasgow coma score (>2 years) | 10.5 (5–13) | 10 (8–15) | 7.5 (4–5) | NA |
Pallor | NA | NA | 77 (36 %) | 20 (15 %) |
Jaundice | 3 (1 %) | 4 (3 %) | 7 (3 %) | 2 (1 %) |
Shock | 10 (4 %) | 2 (1 %) | 2 (1 %) | 2 (1 %) |
Respiratory distress | 128 (52 %) | 58 (38 %) | 96 (45 %) | 64 (47 %) |
Severe anaemia (<5 g/dl) (N = 326 Q; 334 A) | 8.1 (3 %) a | 9.1 (2 %) a | 15 (7 %) b | 1 (1 %) b |
Parasite count (per μl); geometric mean (95 % CI) | 17 068 (12 119-24 038) c | 12 022 (7 040-20 527) c | 22 289 (15 498-32 057) c | 12 346 (7 812-19 511) c |
Prostration | 204 (82 %) | 122 (81 %) | 171 (79 %) | 120 (89 %) |
Urine colouration (N = 391) | 2 (1 %) | 2 (1 %) | 10 (5 %) | 8 (6 %) |
Clinical examination on admission | ||||
Weight (kg and SD) | 11.1 (3.0) | 33.2 (17) | 11.2 (4) | 27.6 (15) |
Temperature (°C and SD) (N = 398) | 38.1 (1) | 38.3 (1) | 38.1 (1) | 38.4 (1) |
Pulse | 125 (70–180) | 102 (64–148) | 119 (60–171) | 94 (60–140) |
Respiratory rate per minute | 42.5 (28–72) | 39.0 (24–60) | 40 (24–72) | 40 (20–58) |
Co-morbidity | 82 (34 %) | 51 (34 %) | 80 (37 %) | 58 (43 %) |