Malaria parasitaemia in childhood diarrhoea in Nigeria

Records of 402 children--2l6 (53.7%) males and l86 (46.3%) females--aged 1-36 month(s), admitted to the Diarrhoea Treatment and Training Unit of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin city, Nigeria, during July 1993-June 1996, were reviewed to document the relationship between dehydration and malaria parasitaemia. There was a significant association between severity of dehydration and malaria parasitaemia (p<0.000l). Association of parasitaemia (p<0.006) with dehydration (p<0.000l) was significantly more marked in patients with acute watery diarrhoea than in those with persistent and bloody diarrhoea. Parasitaemia was demonstrated in 50.5% of those not initially suspected to have malaria. Parasitaemia was also significantly associated with fever (p<0.00l) and fever coexisting with vomiting (p<0.0l). The prevalence of malaria-associated diarrhoea was 6l.7%. More infants (75.6%) than older children had diarrhoea. It was concluded that the prevalence of malaria-associated diarrhoea was high and that children with dehydration are more likely to manifest malaria parasitaemia.