Hematological profile of Plasmodium falciparum infected patients in Ile- Ife southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

Hematological profile of Plasmodium falciparum infected patients in Ile- Ife, southwest Nigeria was analyzed across 60 blood samples. Forty of these samples were from confirmrd P. falciparum infected patients attending outpatient clinic at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, while 20 were from apparently healthy individuals not infected with malaria parasites (control). Standard methods were used to determine the haematocrit, erythrocytes sedimentation rate (ESR), plasma and whole blood viscosity and fibrinogen concentration (clot weight). There were statistically significant differences between the mean ± SD of infected and control subjects in the haematocrit levels (32.58±8.10 and 42.90±7.76) respectively ERS (24.38±3.00 and 8.20±1.91) and plasma fibrinogen concentration (5.09±1.23 and 3.16±0.73) (p<0.05). The differences in the mean ± SD of whole blood viscosity (6.50±0.80 and 5.57±1.42) and mean of plasma viscosity for the control and infected subjects were not statistically significant (p>0.05). The above results showed that Plasmodium falciparum infected patients are at risk of thrombosis.

Keywords: Plasmodium falciparum, blood, Hematological, malaria

International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(2): 236-238, 2010