Haematological parameters and their correlation with the degree of malaria parasitaemia among outpatients attending a polyclinic

Abstract Background Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by various species of the blood parasite Plasmodium; of all the parasitic diseases, malaria has the highest prevalence and mortality with an estimated 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths recorded worldwide as of 2021. Malaria causes febrile...

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Main Authors: Samuel Antwi-Baffour, Benjamin Tetteh Mensah, George Johnson, Dorinda Naa Okailey Armah, Samira Ali-Mustapha, Lawrence Annison
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2023-09-01
Series:Malaria Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04710-3
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author Samuel Antwi-Baffour
Benjamin Tetteh Mensah
George Johnson
Dorinda Naa Okailey Armah
Samira Ali-Mustapha
Lawrence Annison
author_facet Samuel Antwi-Baffour
Benjamin Tetteh Mensah
George Johnson
Dorinda Naa Okailey Armah
Samira Ali-Mustapha
Lawrence Annison
author_sort Samuel Antwi-Baffour
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by various species of the blood parasite Plasmodium; of all the parasitic diseases, malaria has the highest prevalence and mortality with an estimated 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths recorded worldwide as of 2021. Malaria causes febrile illness with several changes in blood cell parameters. Some of these changes include leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anaemia. If these changes could be correlated with the degree of parasitaemia, it can serve as a guide to physicians when treating malaria. This study was therefore aimed at correlating haematological parameters with levels of parasitaemia during malaria infection. Methods The study was a cross-sectional study involving 89 malaria positive patients. About 5 ml of blood was collected from each participant who gave his or her informed consent to partake in the study. A full blood count was performed on their samples to determine their haematological parameters using a haematology auto-analyzer. A parasite count was also performed via microscopy to determine the degree of parasitaemia. The data obtained from the study was entered into a database and statistically analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 and Microsoft Excel 2016. Results The study comprised of 89 participants out of which 35 were males and 54 were females with the mean age of 26.15 years. Secondary education participants were the highest with quaternary education the lowest. The highest parasite count recorded was 398,174 parasites/µl of blood, lowest count was 101 with the average being 32,942.32584. There was also a significant positive Pearson’s correlation between total WBC and parasitaemia and with the WBC differentials, neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes had positive correlations while eosinophils and basophils had negative correlations. Furthermore, platelets, total RBC’s, haemoglobin, MCH, MCHC and Hct all showed negative correlations. Linear regression also showed a linear relationship between parasite density and the various haematological parameters. Conclusion The linear relationship (correlation) between WBC and MCH were the only significant ones at 95% and 99% confidence interval, respectively based on a two-tail t-test. Also, based on the regression analysis, the changes caused by WBC and PLT were the only significant changes at 95% confidence level in a two-tailed t-test.
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spelling doaj.art-d89a8b4082a941af908fd5a0d1e33c312023-11-26T12:24:26ZengBMCMalaria Journal1475-28752023-09-012211810.1186/s12936-023-04710-3Haematological parameters and their correlation with the degree of malaria parasitaemia among outpatients attending a polyclinicSamuel Antwi-Baffour0Benjamin Tetteh Mensah1George Johnson2Dorinda Naa Okailey Armah3Samira Ali-Mustapha4Lawrence Annison5Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of GhanaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of GhanaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of GhanaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of GhanaDepartment of Maternal and Child Health, School of Nursing, University of GhanaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Technology, School of Medical Sciences, Accra Technical UniversityAbstract Background Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by various species of the blood parasite Plasmodium; of all the parasitic diseases, malaria has the highest prevalence and mortality with an estimated 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths recorded worldwide as of 2021. Malaria causes febrile illness with several changes in blood cell parameters. Some of these changes include leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anaemia. If these changes could be correlated with the degree of parasitaemia, it can serve as a guide to physicians when treating malaria. This study was therefore aimed at correlating haematological parameters with levels of parasitaemia during malaria infection. Methods The study was a cross-sectional study involving 89 malaria positive patients. About 5 ml of blood was collected from each participant who gave his or her informed consent to partake in the study. A full blood count was performed on their samples to determine their haematological parameters using a haematology auto-analyzer. A parasite count was also performed via microscopy to determine the degree of parasitaemia. The data obtained from the study was entered into a database and statistically analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 and Microsoft Excel 2016. Results The study comprised of 89 participants out of which 35 were males and 54 were females with the mean age of 26.15 years. Secondary education participants were the highest with quaternary education the lowest. The highest parasite count recorded was 398,174 parasites/µl of blood, lowest count was 101 with the average being 32,942.32584. There was also a significant positive Pearson’s correlation between total WBC and parasitaemia and with the WBC differentials, neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes had positive correlations while eosinophils and basophils had negative correlations. Furthermore, platelets, total RBC’s, haemoglobin, MCH, MCHC and Hct all showed negative correlations. Linear regression also showed a linear relationship between parasite density and the various haematological parameters. Conclusion The linear relationship (correlation) between WBC and MCH were the only significant ones at 95% and 99% confidence interval, respectively based on a two-tail t-test. Also, based on the regression analysis, the changes caused by WBC and PLT were the only significant changes at 95% confidence level in a two-tailed t-test.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04710-3MalariaParasitaemiaHaematologicalPlasmodium falciparumThrombocytopeniaLeukocytosis
spellingShingle Samuel Antwi-Baffour
Benjamin Tetteh Mensah
George Johnson
Dorinda Naa Okailey Armah
Samira Ali-Mustapha
Lawrence Annison
Haematological parameters and their correlation with the degree of malaria parasitaemia among outpatients attending a polyclinic
Malaria Journal
Malaria
Parasitaemia
Haematological
Plasmodium falciparum
Thrombocytopenia
Leukocytosis
title Haematological parameters and their correlation with the degree of malaria parasitaemia among outpatients attending a polyclinic
title_full Haematological parameters and their correlation with the degree of malaria parasitaemia among outpatients attending a polyclinic
title_fullStr Haematological parameters and their correlation with the degree of malaria parasitaemia among outpatients attending a polyclinic
title_full_unstemmed Haematological parameters and their correlation with the degree of malaria parasitaemia among outpatients attending a polyclinic
title_short Haematological parameters and their correlation with the degree of malaria parasitaemia among outpatients attending a polyclinic
title_sort haematological parameters and their correlation with the degree of malaria parasitaemia among outpatients attending a polyclinic
topic Malaria
Parasitaemia
Haematological
Plasmodium falciparum
Thrombocytopenia
Leukocytosis
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04710-3
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