Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Severe Malaria in Children under 5 Years Old in Benin
Background. Malaria is a global public health concern, mainly occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Children infected with malaria are more likely to develop severe disease, which can be fatal. During COVID-19 in 2020, diagnosing and treating malaria became difficult. We analyzed the clinical characteris...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/5516408 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832547377461854208 |
|---|---|
| author | Xiao Ma Xin Fan Kora Chabi Youssaou Junfei Zhang Xingyi Wang Guoqiang Zheng Shuping Tian Yujing Gao |
| author_facet | Xiao Ma Xin Fan Kora Chabi Youssaou Junfei Zhang Xingyi Wang Guoqiang Zheng Shuping Tian Yujing Gao |
| author_sort | Xiao Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. Malaria is a global public health concern, mainly occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Children infected with malaria are more likely to develop severe disease, which can be fatal. During COVID-19 in 2020, diagnosing and treating malaria became difficult. We analyzed the clinical characteristics and laboratory indicators of children with severe malaria in Benin to provide important information for designing effective prevention and treatment strategies to manage pediatric cases. Methods. Clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with severe malaria admitted to two hospitals in Benin (Central Hospital of Lokossa and Regional Hospital of Natitingou, located ∼650 kilometers apart) were collected from January to December 2020. Patients were grouped according to age (group A: 4–12 months old, group B: 13–36 months old, and group C: 37–60 months old), and clinical and laboratory indicators were compared. The incidences of severe pediatric malaria in both hospitals in 2020 were calculated. Inclusion, exclusion, and blood transfusion criteria were identified. Results. We analyzed 236 pediatric cases. The main clinical symptoms among all patients were severe anemia, vomiting, prostration, poor appetite, dysphoria, and dyspnea. Over 50% of patients in group A experienced vomiting and severe anemia. Most patients in group B had severe anemia and prostration. Delirium affected significantly more patients in group C than in groups A and B. In group C, the hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were significantly higher p<0.05, and the leukocyte count was significantly lower p<0.01 than in groups A and B. Parasitemia was significantly higher in group C than in group A p<0.01. Twelve deaths occurred. Conclusions. Severe pediatric malaria is seasonal in Benin. The situation in children under 5 years old is poor. The main problems are severe disease conditions and high fatality rates. Effective approaches such as prevention and early and appropriate treatment are necessary to reduce the malaria burden in pediatric patients. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9e324e08a9ca4b27889415b5e166bf2e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1918-1493 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-9e324e08a9ca4b27889415b5e166bf2e2025-02-03T06:45:08ZengWileyCanadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology1918-14932023-01-01202310.1155/2023/5516408Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Severe Malaria in Children under 5 Years Old in BeninXiao Ma0Xin Fan1Kora Chabi Youssaou2Junfei Zhang3Xingyi Wang4Guoqiang Zheng5Shuping Tian6Yujing Gao7Department of EmergencyDepartment of OphthalmologyDepartment of Internal MedicineDepartment of EmergencyDepartment of EmergencyGeneral PracticeDepartment of PediatricDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyBackground. Malaria is a global public health concern, mainly occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Children infected with malaria are more likely to develop severe disease, which can be fatal. During COVID-19 in 2020, diagnosing and treating malaria became difficult. We analyzed the clinical characteristics and laboratory indicators of children with severe malaria in Benin to provide important information for designing effective prevention and treatment strategies to manage pediatric cases. Methods. Clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with severe malaria admitted to two hospitals in Benin (Central Hospital of Lokossa and Regional Hospital of Natitingou, located ∼650 kilometers apart) were collected from January to December 2020. Patients were grouped according to age (group A: 4–12 months old, group B: 13–36 months old, and group C: 37–60 months old), and clinical and laboratory indicators were compared. The incidences of severe pediatric malaria in both hospitals in 2020 were calculated. Inclusion, exclusion, and blood transfusion criteria were identified. Results. We analyzed 236 pediatric cases. The main clinical symptoms among all patients were severe anemia, vomiting, prostration, poor appetite, dysphoria, and dyspnea. Over 50% of patients in group A experienced vomiting and severe anemia. Most patients in group B had severe anemia and prostration. Delirium affected significantly more patients in group C than in groups A and B. In group C, the hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were significantly higher p<0.05, and the leukocyte count was significantly lower p<0.01 than in groups A and B. Parasitemia was significantly higher in group C than in group A p<0.01. Twelve deaths occurred. Conclusions. Severe pediatric malaria is seasonal in Benin. The situation in children under 5 years old is poor. The main problems are severe disease conditions and high fatality rates. Effective approaches such as prevention and early and appropriate treatment are necessary to reduce the malaria burden in pediatric patients.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/5516408 |
| spellingShingle | Xiao Ma Xin Fan Kora Chabi Youssaou Junfei Zhang Xingyi Wang Guoqiang Zheng Shuping Tian Yujing Gao Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Severe Malaria in Children under 5 Years Old in Benin Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology |
| title | Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Severe Malaria in Children under 5 Years Old in Benin |
| title_full | Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Severe Malaria in Children under 5 Years Old in Benin |
| title_fullStr | Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Severe Malaria in Children under 5 Years Old in Benin |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Severe Malaria in Children under 5 Years Old in Benin |
| title_short | Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Severe Malaria in Children under 5 Years Old in Benin |
| title_sort | clinical and biological characteristics of severe malaria in children under 5 years old in benin |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/5516408 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xiaoma clinicalandbiologicalcharacteristicsofseveremalariainchildrenunder5yearsoldinbenin AT xinfan clinicalandbiologicalcharacteristicsofseveremalariainchildrenunder5yearsoldinbenin AT korachabiyoussaou clinicalandbiologicalcharacteristicsofseveremalariainchildrenunder5yearsoldinbenin AT junfeizhang clinicalandbiologicalcharacteristicsofseveremalariainchildrenunder5yearsoldinbenin AT xingyiwang clinicalandbiologicalcharacteristicsofseveremalariainchildrenunder5yearsoldinbenin AT guoqiangzheng clinicalandbiologicalcharacteristicsofseveremalariainchildrenunder5yearsoldinbenin AT shupingtian clinicalandbiologicalcharacteristicsofseveremalariainchildrenunder5yearsoldinbenin AT yujinggao clinicalandbiologicalcharacteristicsofseveremalariainchildrenunder5yearsoldinbenin |