Haematological indices, nutritional assessment and mortality outcome of children presenting with severe malaria to a tertiary hospital in Ghana

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Background: Severe malaria in children remains the commonest clinical disease in the paediatric emergency units of most hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa. Anaemia and nutritional deficiency are associated with severe malaria. The aim of the study was to describe the haematological indices, nutritional status and mortality among children admitted in a tertiary hospital in Ghana with severe malaria.Methods: We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study documenting the haematological, nutritional indices and mortality outcomes of children less than five years reporting to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital with severe malaria. Results: The study recruited four-hundred-and-eight (408) children between April, 2005 and July, 2006. There were 231 males (57%). The median age was 21 months, (1QR: 4-54months). 36 (8.8%) patients had weight-for-age z-score