Relationship between malaria parasitemia and haemoglobin variants in patients attending Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
1 Department of Biology, Ignatius Ajuru University of education, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
2 Department of Paediatrics, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Research Article
Open Access Research Journal of Life Sciences, 2022, 04(01), 016–026.
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjls.2022.4.1.0057
Publication history:
Received on 21 June 2022; revised on 24 July 2022; accepted on 26 July 2022
Abstract:
Malaria parasitemia and haemoglobin variants in patients attending Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria was investigated. Blood samples from 385 patients attending the hospital were collected using sterile syringes into well labelled specimen bottles containing ethylene di-amine tetra acetate (EDTA). The genotype was determined using standard alkaline cellulose acetate electrophoretic technique while standard method was used to determine malaria parasitaemia. Out of the 385 patients examined for haemoglobin variants, the frequency of the genotype was 239(62.1%), 127(33%), 17(4.4%) and 1(0.3%) for HbAA, HbAS, HbSS and HbAC respectively. Malaria parasitemia in HbAA, HbAS, HbSS and HbAC was 170(64.2%), 82(30.9%), 13(4.9%) and 1(0%) respectively. HbAA was significantly (P<0.005) susceptible to malaria than other genotypes. The prevalence of malaria in HbAS 82(30.9%), HbSS 13(4.9%) and HbAC 1(0%) also show significance difference (P<0.05). Patience below the age of 6years with HbS gene had the highest malaria prevalence (21%). Malaria prevalence among males 7(53.8%) and females 6(46.2%) with sickle cell anaemia SCA had no significance difference (p>0.05). Sickle hemoglobin (HbS) gene protection against malaria found in heterozygous hemoglobin (HbAS) was also recorded in patients with homozygous (HbSS) gene. Prevalence of malaria is higher in patients with the normal haemoglobin (HbAA) than in patients with abnormal genes (HbAS and HbSS).
Keywords:
Malaria; Parasitaemia; Haemoglobin variants; Gene; Hospital
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