Malaria: Comparison Of Prognostic Scoring Systems

Malaria, especially P. falciparum and P. vivax types, has dreadful complications leading to high mortality and morbidity. To decide about the prognosis, various scoring systems viz. Acute physiology and Chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score and malaria severity score (MSS) are used for malaria patients in ICU settings, to assist in limiting the morbidity as well as the mortality rate. Evaluation, validation and comparison of these generic, semi-generic and specific prognostic scoring systems are lacking in malaria patients. The current study was hence designed to evaluate the various prognostic scoring systems in assessing the outcome of malaria patients attending a tertiary care center. Among the three scoring systems some parameters were useful while some were actually not needed in predicting the outcome and thus if we can take up good parameters and points of each scoring system like adding co-morbidity status and parasite count, we may be able to generate better scoring system.