Not all severe malaria cases are severe: Is it time to redefine severity criteria for malaria in non-endemic regions?
Travel Med Infect Dis
; 60: 102740, 2024.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39002737
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The current definition of severe malaria in non-endemic areas follows WHO criteria, which mainly target children in malaria-endemic areas, potentially misclassifying cases in non-endemic regions. We assessed the performance of a modified severe malaria classification criteria within our patient cohort.METHODS:
A cohort study of patients managed for malaria in a non-endemic setting (2005-2023) was analyzed. We classified patients into severe malaria (SM) using WHO 2013 criteria except for hyperparasitemia, where 2 % threshold was applied. Patients with SM were distinguished as very severe malaria (VSM) when presenting at least one of the following conditions parasitemia >10 %, pulmonary edema, impaired consciousness, seizures, renal failure, metabolic acidosis or hyperlactatemia, shock or hypoglycemia. In patients with SM and no criteria for VSM, less severe malaria (LSM) was defined by 2-10 % parasitemia, hyperbilirubinemia, prostration, anemia or minor bleeding. The primary composite outcome was death or the need for a life-saving intervention, as analyzed in the three comparative groups. Secondary outcome was the prevalence of co-infections.RESULTS:
Among 506 patients with malaria, 176 (34.8 %) presented with SM. A total of 37 (7.3 %) patients developed a life-threatening condition, namely death (n = 4) and/or the need for life-saving interventions (n = 34). All fatalities and 33 out of the 34 life-saving interventions occurred in the VSM group. Patients in LSM group did not develop any life-threatening conditions. As to co-infections, 28 (5.5 %) patients had a community-acquired co-infection, with no differences between groups (p = 0.763).CONCLUSIONS:
Severity criteria definitions would benefit from a review when assessing patients with malaria in non-endemic areas. Within the spectrum of SM, patients reclassified as LSM have a low risk of developing a life-threatening condition and present low co-infection incidence and could benefit from management out of intensive care units and a restrictive use of empirical antibiotics.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Índice de Gravidade de Doença
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Malária
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Aged
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Child
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Child, preschool
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Female
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article