Comparison of Some Haematological Parameters Between Malaria Parasites Infected Haemoglobin A and Haemoglobin S in Aba Metropolis

Abstract

Plasmodium parasite precisely Plasmodium falciparum causes lysis of the red blood cells culminating in increased morbidity and mortality of the vulnerable subjects. The presence of certain haemoglobin molecules are believed to confer resistance to the disease. This study aimed to compare specific hematologic characteristics between red blood cells infected with malaria in individuals with HbAA and HbAS. It is with the view to investigate the phenotype-dependent alterations. A total of 100: 50 HbAA and 50 HbAS subjects comprising 25 males and 25 females for each group were randomly recruited for this study. The parameters investigated were malaria parasitaemia, haemoglobin phenotype, Hb, PCV, RBC, TWBC, PLT, MCH, MCHC, and MCV. The presence of malaria parasitaemia was investigated microscopically by thick and thin blood film methods, haemoglobin phenotype by Hb electrophoresis and haematologic parameters using Sysmex SX – 1000i automated haematology analyzer. Data generated were statistically analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25. A 60% and 40% of HbAA and HbAS subjects respectively were infected by malaria parasite. No statistical significant differences were observed between the Mean±SD (p > 0.05) of the Hb, PCV, RBC, TWBC, PLT, MCH, and MCHC of infected HBAA and HBAS subjects, while statistical significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed between the Mean±SD  of  the MCV (86.26±4.89fl vs 80.29±5.42fl). These outcomes suggest a higher susceptibility to malaria parasite among individuals displaying the HbAA phenotype in contrast to those with the HbAS phenotype. Additionally, the findings suggest that when infected with malaria, most hematological parameters between individuals with HbAA and HbAS genotypes do not show significant differences. However, there seems to be a notable difference in Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), suggesting that this particular parameter might be affected differently by malaria infection in individuals with different phenotypes.