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Lisbôa PGS, Medeiros JMR, de Souza AV, dos Santos BFB, Sanches HOC, da Rocha JLG, Correa Junior WDJP, Costa GG, Chaves TDSS, da Silva Ventura AMR, Libonati RMF. Analysis of malaria clinical-epidemiological predictors in individuals from Brazilian Amazon. Parasitology 2022; 149:10-14. [PMID: 34218833 PMCID: PMC11010514 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182021001165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This research aims to determine whether the combination of epidemiological and clinical features can predict malaria. Diagnostic investigation detected 22.3% of individuals with Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria, with significant predominance of the male gender. The malaria triad (fever, chills and headache) had a more expressive frequency (81.1%) in individuals with positive thick blood than those with negative thick blood smear (65.1%), although there was no statistical significance. Among the variables analysed as predictive for positive thick blood smear, it was observed that personal history of travel to an endemic malaria area and past malaria infection (PMI) were significantly associated with malaria, even in multiple logistic regression. Fever had the higher sensitivity (94.6%) and past malaria history had the greater specificity (68.2%), with accuracy of 23.5% and 67.5%, respectively. In combined analysis, fever with chills had the highest sensitivity (91.9%), but low accuracy (38.5%). High specificity (91.5%) was found in the association of malaria triad, PMI and history of travel to endemic malaria area (which along with anorexia, was higher 94.6%), with good accuracy (80.7%), suggesting that the screening of patients for performing thick blood smear can be based on these data. The epidemiological features and the malaria triad (fever, chills and headache) can be predictors for identification of malaria patients, concurring to precocious diagnosis and immediate treatment of individuals with malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Gabriela Góes Costa
- Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
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