title: A prospective study on adult patients of severe malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and mixed infection from Bikaner, northwest India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Description of severe vivax malaria and mixed species infection requires good clinical study. The present study was undertaken to evalute the characteristics of severe malaria patients in Bikaner, northwest India.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study included 539 admitted adult patients of severe malaria (Plasmodium falciparum 274, P. vivax 221, and mixed infection of Pv + Pf 44). The diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. The categorization of severe malaria was done strictly as per WHO criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The distribution of severe manifestation was similar in severe vivax, falciparum and mixed infections except more cases of thrombocytopenia in P. vivax (p=0.030) and in mixed infection (p=0.004). The risk of developing severe malaria was greatest in patients of mixed infection [53.01% (44/83)] in comparison to Plasmodium falciparum malaria [49.37% (274/555), RR= 1.135; p=0.616] and P. vivax malaria [45.38% (221/ 487), RR = 1.299, p=0.243]. Hepatic dysfunction was the commonest pernicious syndrome [P. falciparum 50% (137/274), P. vivax 43.89% (97/221), and mixed infections 54.55% (24/44)]. Multiorgan dysfunction was present in 40.26% (217/539) patients, the risk was greatest in mixed infection [90.90% (40/44)] in comparison to P. falciparum monoinfection [37.59% (103/274), RR = 12.238; p=0.0001] or P. vivax monoinfection [33.48% (74/ 221), RR = 13.25; p=0.0001]. The risk of mortality in severe malaria was 6.31% (34/539) in which mixed infection had greater risk [9.09% (4/44)] in comparison to P. falciparum [7.30% (20/274); OR = 1.270 (CI 0.347-4.217); p=0.757] or P. vivax [4.52% (10/221); 0R 2.110 (CI 0.527-7.826); p=0.260].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe vivax or falciparum malaria had almost similar features and prognosis including mortality. Risk of developing severe malaria, multiorgan dysfunction and mortality was more in patients of mixed infection in comparison to P. falciparum or P. vivax monoinfection. A multicentric study on larger number of patients requires further confirmation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, RUHS College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, India.
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kochar
authors.forename: Ashis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Abhishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kochar
authors.forename: Sheetal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Middha
authors.forename: Jyoti
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Tanwar
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pakalapati
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Subudhi
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Boopathi
authors.forename: Shilpi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kochar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D060085:Coinfection / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000401:mortality / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000401:mortality / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis