Hospitalization and ambulatory care in imported-malaria: evaluation of trends and impact on mortality. A prospective multicentric 14-year observational study.
BACKGROUND
Hospitalization is usually recommended for imported malaria. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the evolution in clinical pathways while measuring their impact on mortality.


METHODS
This is a 14-year prospective observational study divided into three periods. We evaluated for adult (≥15 years) and paediatric (<15 years) case trends in severity, clinical pathways (hospitalization in medical ward (MW) or intensive care unit (ICU), ambulatory care) and mortality.


RESULTS
In total, 21,386 imported malaria cases were included, 4269 of them were paediatrics (20 %). Rises in severe forms for adults [from 8 % in period 1-14 % in period 3 (p = 0.0001)] and paediatrics [from 12 to 18 % (p < 0.0001)] were found. For adults, MW admission rates decreased [-15 % (CI 95 % -17; -13)] while ambulatory care [+7 % (CI 95 % 5-9)] and ICU admission rates [+4 % (CI 95 % 3-5)] increased. For paediatrics, increase in ICU admissions (+3 %) was shown. We did not observe any change in overall mortality during the study periods, whether among adults or children, regardless of care pathway.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study indicates a changing management of imported malaria in adults, with an increasing trend for ambulatory care. The absence of change in mortality for adults indicates that ambulatory care can be proposed for adults presenting non-severe imported malaria.
Service d'Accueil des Urgences, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, 46 rue Henri Huchard, 75018, Paris, France. enrique.casalino@bch.aphp.fr.|Université Paris Diderot, PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité, EA 7334 «Recherche clinique coordonnée ville-hôpital, Méthodologies et Société (REMES)», Paris, France. enrique.casalino@bch.aphp.fr.
Enrique
E
Casalino
INSERM, IAME, UMR 1137, 75018, Paris, France.|Service de Biostatistique, AP-HP, Hôpital Bichat, 75018, Paris, France.
Aurélie
A
Etienne
INSERM, IAME, UMR 1137, 75018, Paris, France.|Service de Biostatistique, AP-HP, Hôpital Bichat, 75018, Paris, France.|Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75018, Paris, France.
France
F
Mentré
Parasitology Laboratory, Centre National de Référence du Paludisme, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), University Hospital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris, France.|RD UMR216, Mère et enfant face aux infections tropicales, 75006, Paris, France.|Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Descartes, 75270, Paris, France.
Sandrine
S
Houzé
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008288:Malaria / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014195:Travel; D055815:Young Adult
Ambulatory care; Hospitalization; Imported malaria; Intensive care; Mortality