Jacobabad, located in the northern region of Sindh, is characterized by an extremely hot and humid climate and is classified as a malaria-endemic area, with an annual parasite incidence (API) of 31 per 1000 population in 2024. The present study investigates the incidence of malaria among patients admitted to our hospital along with comparison of clinical and haematological profile of severe and uncomplicated malaria in the region and to determine any association with age. To the best of our knowledge, no prior study has systematically documented the malaria burden in this region. A prospective clinical observational study was conducted in Pakistan Airforce Hospital, Shahbaz Base, Jacobabad, Sindh between 2024 to 2025. A total of 260 admitted malaria patients, irrespective of age and gender were included. Cases were categorized into severe and complicated based on WHO criteria. The clinical parameters and haematological profile of severe and uncomplicated cases were compared and data analysed using SPSS v 27. Frequency and percentage were calculated for categorical variables while mean and standard deviation was calculated for numerical variables. Chi square test was applied to find statistical significance. The p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical significance of haematological parameters with type of malaria was derived using Kruskal Wallis test while statistical significance of haematological parameters with severity of disease was derived by Mann Whitney U test. Uncomplicated and severe malaria cases were 217 (83.5%) and 43 (16.5%) respectively. Severe malaria was significantly associated with jaundice, bleeding, pallor, respiratory distress, fits, cerebral malaria, anaemia and thrombocytopenia. Overall, case fatality was 16.2% seen in paediatric age group (0.1–15 yrs) and most fatal complication was cerebral malaria. Clinical and haematological parameters serve as prognostic indicators for disease progression and warrant close monitoring to prevent adverse clinical outcomes.
Noor et al. (2026) studied this question.