title: Moderate-to-severe anaemia due to afebrile Plasmodium falciparum infection in children aged 6-23 months from the rural district of Kongoussi, Burkina Faso.
abstract: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the association of haemoglobin concentration and moderate-to-severe anaemia with afebrile Plasmodium falciparum (PF) infection in 456 rural children aged 6-23 months. Capillary blood was obtained for haemoglobin concentration measurement by HemoCue and malaria detection by blood smear microscopy. Anaemia was noted in 444 (97.4%) children with 194 (42.5%) being moderate-to-severe anaemia. PF infection was noted in 240 (52.6%) children with 117 (25.6%) being afebrile and 123 (27.0%) being febrile. Children with afebrile and those with febrile PF infection were more likely to have moderate-to-severe anaemia than children who were PF-free, with odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 1.86 (1.07-3.23), p = 0.028 and 2.40 (1.29-4.48), p < 0.001, respectively. These results underline the high burden of both anaemia and PF infection in this population. Strategies aiming at controlling malarial anaemia and based on malaria case-treatment should consider both febrile and afebrile PF infection to allow for a better impact.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, 03 BP 7192 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. ouedher68@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Hermann Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Ouédraogo
authors.forename: Augustin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zeba
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dramaix-Wilmet
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Donnen
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D002050:Burkina Faso / Q000453:epidemiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires