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Table 2 Factors associated with methemoglobinemia in a pediatric fever cohort

From: Methemoglobin and nitric oxide therapy in Ugandan children hospitalized for febrile illness: results from a prospective cohort study and randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial

 

MHb ≤2 %

N = 1364 (66 %)

MHb >2 %

N = 689 (34 %)

Bivariate OR

(95 % CI)

P-value

Multivariate OR

(95 % CI)

P-value

Demographic characteristics

   

 Age, months

17 [9, 26]

18 [9, 30]

1.00 (1.00, 1.01)

0.268

1.00 (1.00, 1.01)

0.370

 Age <6 months

98 (7.2)

53 (7.7)

1.08 (0.76, 1.52)

0.677

  

 Male (%)

734 (54.4)

382 (56.1)

1.07 (0.89, 1.29)

0.461

  

Clinical findings at admission

 Fever (≥38o C)

402 (39.1)

276 (27.6)

0.59 (0.49, 0.72)

<0.001

0.74 (0.60, 0.92)

0.005

 Underweight, <-2 WAZ

303 (22.6)

150 (22.3)

0.97 (0.77, 1.21)

0.775

  

 Systolic BP

105.5 (15.3)

104.2 (7.0)

0.99 (0.99, 1.00)

0.094

  

 Diastolic BP

58.4 (13.3)

55.6 (13.4)

0.98 (0.98, 0.99)

<0.001

0.99 (0.98, 1.00)

0.130

 Age-specific elevated respiratory rate, per min

693 (52.7)

398 (59.8)

1.34 (1.11, 1.62)

0.002

  

 Deep breathing

282 (20.7)

213 (31.0)

1.72 (1.40, 2.12)

<0.001

  

 Vomiting

399 (29.3)

272 (39.6)

1.58 (1.30, 1.91)

<0.001

1.36 (1.09, 1.70)

0.007

 Diarrhea

424 (31.2)

176 (25.6)

0.82 (0.64, 0.)

0.008

0.82 (0.64, 1.04)

0.107

 Blantyre coma score

      

  0

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

21 (1.6)

13 (1.0)

22 (1.6)

45 (3.4)

63 (4.7)

1173 (87.7)

26 (3.9)

9 (1.3)

25 (3.7)

41 (6.1)

48 (8.6)

514 (76.4)

0.78 (0.71, 0.85)

<0.001

  

 Capillary refill time

      

   < 2 seconds

1180 (89.5)

515 (77.0)

    

  2- <3 sec

90 (6.8)

102 (15.2)

    

   ≥ 3 sec

49 (3.7)

49 (3.7)

1.81 (1.52, 2.16)

<0.001

1.36 (1.11, 1.66)

0.003

 Pretreatment with antibiotics

428 (31.6)

240 (35.5)

1.19 (0.98, 1.45)

0.079

  

 Pretreatment with sulfadoxine pyremethamine

16 (1.2)

14 (2.1)

1.76 (0.85, 3.63)

0.125

  

 Subcostal retractions

236 (17.3)

172 (25.0)

1.59 (1.27, 1.98)

<0.001

  

Laboratory test results at admission

 Lactate, mmol/L

2.5 [1.8, 4.0]

3.4 [2.2, 8.5]

1.14 (1.11, 1.16)

<0.001

1.08 (1.05, 1.11)

<0.001

 Glucose, mmol/L

7.1 (2.3)

7.9 (3.3)

1.11 (1.07, 1.15)

<0.001

  

 Oxygen saturation (Sp02)

98 [96, 100]

98 [95, 99]

0.97 (0.95, 0.99)

0.015

  

 Severe anemia, Hb < 5 g/dL or pallor

182 (13.3)

233 (33.8)

3.32 (2.66, 4.14)

<0.001

1.99 (1.51, 2.61)

<0.001

 Suspected hemoglobinopathy

41 (3.0)

41 (6.0)

2.04 (1.31, 3.18)

0.002

1.97 (1.17, 3.32)

0.011

 Lab-confirmed malaria1

883 (64.8)

498 (72.5)

1.43 (1.17, 1.74)

0.001

1.34 (1.07, 1.69)

0.011

  1. Mean (SD) for normally distributed variables. Median [IQR] for non-normally distributed variables. Number (%) for categorical variables
  2. 1Positive by microscopy or RDT (HRP2/pLDH or pLDH)
  3. Factors significantly associated with methemoglobinemia in bivariate or multivariate analysis in bold
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BMC Pediatrics

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