Malaria in Children in Guediawaye, Senegal: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Malaria is one of the leading causes of infant and child mortality, despite the efforts made in Senegal. The epidemiological profile of malaria in Senegal is linked to climatic conditions that can influence the abundance and survival of mosquitoes. The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiological, clinical, Para clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary aspects of malaria in children in a pediatric ward of a Dakar hospital.

Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study, with an analytical focus over a 5-year period from January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2017, in the pediatrics department of Roi Baudouin Hospital Center, involving 259 children hospitalized for malaria.

Results: The frequency of hospitalization during the period was estimated at 7.7%.The mean age was 82.9 months, with a median of 84 months, and the age range from 1 month to 5 years was the most representative (35.9%) with extremes from 1 to 180 months.

The majority of cases occurred in the last quarter of the year, with a peak in October (19.7%). Clinical manifestations on admission were dominated by fever, which was found in 93.1% of cases. More than 30.9% of the children showed clinical signs of severity on entry, with jaundice (37.5%) in the foreground, followed respectively by disturbances of consciousness (29.0%) and respiratory distress (19.0%). The majority of patients were treated with quinine (80.3%) and overall progress was satisfactory with a cure rate of 97.7%. Factors associated with death were represented by a time to management more than 7 days and the presence of co-infections, with a p value equal to 0.002 and 0.04 respectively.