title: [Malaria severity criteria and prognostic factors among children in Dakar].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Severity factors associated with malaria as well as prognostic factors for death were assessed at the Dakar Centre Hospitalier National d'Enfants Albert Royer de Fann (CHNEAR).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was carried out from January 1 to December 31, 2007 involving children from 0 to 15 years of age, admitted for plasmodium falciparum malaria with positive thick drop examination, meeting at least one of the WHO 2000 malaria severity criteria. Acidosis was not studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of severe malaria cases in our hospital was 6.4%. The sex ratio was 1.4 and the median age of patients at 91 months. A peak was observed during the 4th trimester (75.5%). Convulsions (52.5%) and obtundation (49.4%) were the most common signs of clinical severity while hyperparasitemia and severe anemia ranged at 27.2% and 21.6%, respectively. Lethality was 11.1% and the main death risk factors were young age (p = 0.025), coma (p = 0.007), respiratory distress (p = 0.04), or hypoglycemia (p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reducing malaria hospital mortality in Senegal may be obtained by proper management of poor prognostic factors such as coma, respiratory distress, and hypoglycemia.
authors.affiliation: Service de Pédiatrie, Centre National Hospitalier d'Enfants Albert-Royer-de-Fann, route de Ouakam, Dakar, Sénégal. bccamara@yahoo.com
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Camara
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Diagne-Gueye
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Faye
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Fall
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ndiaye
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ba
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Sow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003244:Consciousness Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D007223:Infant; D016779:Malaria, Cerebral / Q000453:epidemiology; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012640:Seizures / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012675:Senegal / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index