Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of imported malaria in Dalian from 2013 to 2018

Abstract

Objective To understand the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of imported malaria cases admitted in Dalian and provide evidence for clinical diagnosis, treatment and control of the disease. Methods A retrospective analysis method was used to descriptively analyze the epidemiological data of 104 cases of imported malaria from 2013 to 2018 treated in Dalian Sixth People′s Hospital. The clinical characteristics of 93 hospitalized patients (13 in the severe group and 80 in the non-severe group) were analyzed by t (t′) test or Mann-Whitney U test. Results Among 104 cases of imported malaria, 82 cases were falciparum malaria, 5 cases were vivax malaria, 4 cases were oval malaria, 2 cases were quartan malaria, 2 cases were mixed infections, and there were 9 cases without classification. The ratio of males to females was 16.33: 1.00 (98: 6). The age was (42.07 ± 11.07) years. There was no obvious seasonality in the onset time. We found 102 cases were come from Africa, and their main occupations were outbound workers or fishermen. After blood laboratory examination at admission between severe group and non-severe group, the differences of red blood cell (RBC), hematocrit (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb), serum creatinine (SCr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN)were statistically significantly different (t= 6.561, 7.140, 6.962; Z=-3.469, -3.739, P < 0.05). Conclusions In Dalian the falciparum malaria is the main infectious species in imported malaria cases, and Africa is the main area of infection. Outbound workers should be trained in malaria prevention and treatment in Africa. Early admission indicators (RBC, PCV, Hb, SCr, BUN) help clinicians to diagnosis and treat severe cases early. Key words: Malaria; Epidemiology; Clinical characteristics