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dc.contributor.authorBangirana, Paul
dc.contributor.authorSegane, Musisi
dc.contributor.authorBoivin, Michael J.
dc.contributor.authorEhnvall, Anna
dc.contributor.authorChandy, C. John
dc.contributor.authorBergermann, Tracy L.
dc.contributor.authorAllebeck, Peter
dc.date.accessioned2012-04-13T13:07:01Z
dc.date.available2012-04-13T13:07:01Z
dc.date.issued2011-11-03
dc.identifier.citationBangirana, P. et al. (2011). Malaria with neurological involvement in Ugandan children: effect on cognitive ability, academic achievement and behaviour. Malaria Journal, 10:334en_US
dc.identifier.issn1475-2875
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-10-334
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10570/533
dc.description.abstractBackground Malaria is a leading cause of ill health and neuro-disability in children in sub-Saharan Africa. Impaired cognition is a common outcome of malaria with neurological involvement. There is also a possibility that academic achievement may be affected by malaria with neurological involvement given the association between cognitive ability and academic achievement. This study investigated the effect of malaria with neurological involvement on cognitive ability, behaviour and academic achievement. Methods This prospective case-control study was carried out in Kampala City, Uganda between February 2008 and October 2010. Sixty-two children with a history of malaria with neurological involvement were followed up and given assessments for cognitive ability (working memory, reasoning, learning, visual spatial skills and attention), behaviour (internalizing and externalizing problems) and academic achievement (arithmetic, spelling and reading) three months after the illness. Sixty-one community controls recruited from the homes or neighbouring families of the cases were also given the same assessments. Tests scores of the two groups were compared using analysis of covariance with age, sex, level of education, nutritional status and quality of the home environment as covariates. This study was approved by the relevant ethical bodies and informed consent sought from the caregivers. Results Children in the malaria group had more behavioural problems than the community controls for internalizing problems (estimated mean difference = -3.71, 95% confidence interval (CI), = -6.34 to -1.08, p=0.007). There was marginal evidence of lower attention scores (0.40, CI = -0.05 to 0.86, p=0.09). However, excluding one child from the analyses who was unable to perform the tests affected the attention scores to borderline significance (0.32, CI, = 0.01 to 0.62, p=0.05). No significant differences were observed in other cognitive abilities or in academic achievement scores. Conclusion Malaria with neurological involvement affects behaviour, with a minimal effect on attention but no detectable effect on academic achievement at three months post discharge. This study provides evidence that development of cognitive deficits after malaria with neurological involvement could be gradual with less effect observed in the short term compared to the long term.en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherBioMed Centralen_US
dc.subjectUgandan childrenen_US
dc.subjectBehaviouren_US
dc.subjectMalariaen_US
dc.subjectCognitionen_US
dc.subjectAcademic achievementen_US
dc.subjectNeuropsychologyen_US
dc.titleMalaria with neurological involvement in Ugandan children: effect on cognitive ability, academic achievement and behaviouren_US
dc.typeJournal article, peer revieweden_US


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