Pattern and Outcome of Severe Malaria at the Emergency Paediatrics Unit of a Tertiary Hospital, North-Central Nigeria

Background: Severe malaria, caused predominantly by the falciparum specie of plasmodium parasite, accounted for many childhood Hospital admissions and mortality in the tropics. There is dearth of study on malaria and its complications among children in this environment. This study aimed at determining the burden of malaria, the pattern of its complications as well as the outcome among children seen at the Emergency Paediatric Unit (EPU) Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross sectional study among children aged 6 months to 18 years at the Emergency Paediatric Unit (EPU) of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital Lafia between 1st September 2017 to August 31st 2018. RESULTS: The mean age of children with severe malaria is 6.852.1. More than half of the children with severe malaria are within the age range of 1 - less than 5 years while more than a third are aged between 5 - less than 10 years old. Cerebral malaria, severe anaemia, multiple convulsions and hypoglycemia were the highest contributors to morbidity while severe anaemia, cerebral malaria and hypoglycemia were the main contributors to mortality. Severe malaria accounted for 15 (17.9 %) of the 84 mortalities. Case fatality from severe malaria is 7.3 % CONCLUSION: Severe malaria remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially among the under five children.