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Table 3 Documented clinical or laboratory symptoms of severe malaria, by age

From: Adherence to national guidelines for the diagnosis and management of severe malaria: a nationwide, cross-sectional survey in Malawi, 2012

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

  1. p value determined by Rao–Scott Chi square
  2. * p < 0.05