Adult malaria mortality during 2019 at Bo Government Hospital, Sierra Leone

Gates Open Res. 2023 Aug 14:7:48. doi: 10.12688/gatesopenres.14396.2. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

It is uncertain whether malaria is an important cause of death among adults in endemic areas. We performed a chart review of adults admitted to Bo Government Hospital during 2019. Of 893 admissions, 149 (59% female, mean age 58.5 years) had a laboratory diagnosis of malaria and 22 (14.8%) died. Mortality was significantly higher among patients with severe malaria compared with those who had non-severe malaria (6/20 [30%] versus 16/129 [12.4%], p=0.031). Our results suggest that malaria is a common cause of death in hospitalized Sierra Leonian adults.

Keywords: Malaria; Sierra Leone; adults; mortality.

Associated data

  • Dryad/10.5061/dryad.5hqbzkh9s

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation [INV-009553].