Determinant of parasite clearance and density on uncomplicated falciparum malaria infections in malaria-endemic area of Lampung Province, Indonesia

Lampung is a malaria-endemic region in Indonesia with an annual parasite incidence of 0.06 per 1,000 population. The socio-demographic factors, clinical conditions, and arte-misinin combination therapy (ACT) types might affect parasite clearance and parasite density. This study aims to investigate factors that influence parasite clearance and parasite density in malaria patients. A retrospective analytic observational and a cross-sec-tional approach was used to conduct this study. A total of 66 malaria patients were examined to investigate parasite density and clearance, socio-demographic profiles, clinical conditions, and ACT types. To analyze data, univariate, bivariate, and multivariate tests were used. Age (P = 0.045; r= 0.238) and ACT type (P = 0.021; r= 0.273) were the only variables that had a significant correlation with parasite clearance. Age (P=0.003; r= 0.345) had a significant correlation with parasite density. The most influential factors related to parasite clearance were the ACT type (dihydroartemisinin piperaquine) (P=0.017; odds ratio (OR) 0.109; 95.0% confidence interval (CI), 0.018–0.675) and age (P = 0.030; OR 0.132; 95.0% CI, 0.021–0.823). Age (P=0.046; OR 0.320; 0.105–0.978, 95.0% CI) was the most significant variable associated with parasite density.