Research Article

Thrombocytopenia as a Diagnostic Marker for Malaria in Patients with Acute Febrile Illness

Table 2

Characteristics of acute febrile patients with and without malaria infection.

VariablesCategoryMalaria status value
Positive n (%)Negative n (%)

Age in years≤1411 (18.3%)49 (81.7%)0.077
15–2433 (23.1%)110 (76.9%)
25–3417 (14.3%)102 (85.7%)
35–446 (8.3%)66 (91.7%)
≥456 (20.7%)23 (79.3)
SexMale28 (14.7%)163 (85.3%)0.249
Female45 (19.4%)187 (80.6%)
ResidenceUrban22 (11.1%)177 (88.9%)0.002
Rural51 (22.8%)173 (77.2%)
Marital statusSingle41 (21.0%)154 (79.0%)0.163
Married31 (14.0%)191 (86.0%)
Widowed1 (16.7%)5 (83.3%)
Educational statusIlliterate17 (16.2%)88 (83.8%)0.319
Read and write4 (10.3%)35 (89.7%)
Primary14 (16.1%)73 (83.9%)
Secondary23 (24.0%)73 (76.0%)
College and above15 (15.6%)81 (84.4%)
Occupational statusStudent39 (22.7%)133 (77.3%)0.066
Government employee9 (19.6%)37 (80.4%)
House wife15 (13.8%)94 (86.2%)
Farmer6 (15.0%)34 (85.0%)
Private employee4 (7.1%)52 (92.9%)
Thrombocytopenia statusThrombocytopenic58 (79.5%)48 (13.7%)<0.001
Nonthrombocytopenic15 (20.5%)302 (86.3%)
Thrombocytopenia severitySevere9 (12.3%)0 (0.0%)<0.001
Moderate29 (39.7%)14 (4%)
Mild20 (27.4%)34 (9.7%)
Nonthrombocytopenia15 (20.5%)302 (86.3%)
Platelet count119.86 ± 75.549263.28 ± 82.17<0.001