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Standardised versus actual white cell counts in estimating thick film parasitaemia in African children under five
Author(s) -
Olliaro Piero,
Djimdé Abdoulaye,
Karema Corine,
Mårtensson Andreas,
Ndiaye JeanLouis,
Sirima Sodiomon B.,
Dorsey Grant,
Zwang Julien
Publication year - 2011
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 - 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2011.02738.x
Subject(s) - malaria , medicine , demography , pediatrics , protozoal disease , immunology , sociology
Summary In patients with malaria, parasitaemia is usually estimated by assuming 8000 white cell counts (WCC) per microlitre of blood. In a sample of 3044 African children under 5 years of age with uncomplicated falciparum malaria, parasitaemia estimated using standardised WCC was compared to parasitaemia calculated based on each child’s own WCC. The two methods produced comparable results. However, WCC were >8000 in under‐fives with an inverse relationship with age, resulting in the standard approximation method significantly underestimating parasitaemia in the youngest age group and overestimating parasitaemia in the oldest age groups.