title: Influence of hemoglobin E trait on the severity of Falciparum malaria.
abstract: To determine if hemoglobin E trait influences the course of acute malaria, adults hospitalized for the treatment of symptomatic infection with Plasmodium falciparum were studied retrospectively. Forty-two patients with hemoglobin E trait were compared with 175 reference subjects who did not have hemoglobin E, beta-thalassemia, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, or alpha-thalassemia. One patient (2.4%) with hemoglobin E trait had a severe complication of malaria by World Health Organization criteria (cerebral malaria), while 32 subjects in the reference group (18.3%) had one or more severe complications: cerebral malaria (n=18), hyperparasitemia (n=16), renal failure (n=10), and severe anemia (n=1) (P=.044 after adjustment for ethnic categories). The estimated odds of severe complications in the reference subjects were 6.9 times the odds in patients with hemoglobin E trait (95% confidence interval, 1.2-146. 4). These results suggest that hemoglobin E trait may ameliorate the course of acute falciparum malaria.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hutagalung
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wilairatana
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Looareesuwan
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Brittenham
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aikawa
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Gordeuk
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006446:Hemoglobin E / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016779:Malaria, Cerebral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013785:Thailand
chemical_list: D006446:Hemoglobin E