Predictors of prolonged hospitalisation and mortality among children admitted with blackwater fever in eastern Uganda

Abstract

Our study aimed at determining clinical factors associated with prolonged hospitalisation and death among children admitted with blackwater fever (BWF). We analysed 920 eligible records for the period January – December 2018 from Mbale and Soroti Regional Referral Hospitals in Eastern Uganda. The median hospitalisation was 3 (IQR: 2–5 days) days. Prolonged hospitalisation was in 251/920 (27.3%). Clinical features independently associated with prolonged hospitalisation included abdominal tenderness, body pain and mild fever. 29/920 (3.2%) died, of these 20 (69.0%) within 48 h of admission. Features of severity associated with mortality were noisy or interrupted breathing, tachypnoea, chest pain, convulsions, delayed capillary refill time (≥3 s), severe pallor, high fever (>38.5°C), altered level of consciousness, prostration and acidotic breathing.