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Table 3 Documented clinical or laboratory symptoms of severe malaria, by age
| Symptom | <5 years | ≥5 years | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % (95% CI) | n | % (95% CI) | ||
| Seizures* | 118 | 23.8 (18.5–29.2) | 51 | 14.2 (7.3–21.1) | 0.026 |
| Lethargy/Coma | 74 | 15.1 (10.7–19.5) | 65 | 15.5 (10.4–20.6) | 0.91 |
| Vomiting everything | 24 | 4.4 (2.1–6.8) | 17 | 3.1 (1.4–4.9) | 0.39 |
| Unable to eat* | 38 | 7.4 (4.6–10.3) | 19 | 5.0 (2.2–7.7) | 0.18 |
| Jaundice* | 19 | 3.3 (1.0–5.6) | 4 | 0.7 (0.0–1.6) | 0.0059 |
| Difficulty breathing* | 61 | 12.3 (8.0–16.5) | 24 | 4.4 (2.1–6.6) | 0.0002 |
| Difficulty urinating | 6 | 1.1 (0.0–2.4) | 5 | 1.1 (0.1–2.2) | 0.98 |
| Red urine | 3 | 0.5 (0.0–1.2) | 2 | 0.6 (0.0–1.5) | – |
| Easy bleeding/bruising | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Abnormal mental status | 14 | 2.5 (1.1–3.9) | 22 | 4.3 (1.7–6.9) | 0.19 |
| Abnormal neurologic exam | 11 | 2.2 (1.0–3.4) | 13 | 2.8 (1.2–4.3) | 0.56 |
| Severe anaemia* | 51 | 9.6 (4.9–14.2) | 20 | 3.8 (1.8–5.7) | 0.0004 |
| At least one severe symptom | 287 | 56.1 (47.8–64.3) | 177 | 42.4 (30.8–54.1) | 0.06 |
