Premium
Post‐injury malaria: a risk factor for wound infection and protracted recovery
Author(s) -
Sundet Mads,
Heger Tove,
Husum Hans
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3156.2003.01190.x
Subject(s) - malaria , medicine , risk factor , wound infection , surgery , immunology
Summary Objective To assess the impact of post‐injury falciparum malaria on morbidity parameters in Cambodia. Method Retrospective study of 227 trauma patients managed at a surgical centre in Battambang, Cambodia. Results Within 10 days of the injury, 42.7% of the study population developed symptomatic malaria. In patients with post‐injury malaria, the rate of wound infection was 36.1% compared with 10.0% in patients without symptomatic malaria (95% confidence interval for difference 15.2–36.9%). The average hospital stay in the post‐injury malaria group was 31.2 days compared with 19.4 days in the patients without the complication (95% confidence interval for difference 7.2–16.4 days). Conclusion Symptomatic malaria after trauma is common in Cambodia. Post‐injury malaria seems to increase the risk of wound infection, delays postoperative recovery, and thus adds to the burden of trauma.