I. O. George, C. S. Ewelike-Ezeani
Haematological parameters are measurable indices of the blood that serve as a marker for disease diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate haematological parameters of children with malaria in Nigeria. This was a prospective study in which the full blood count of children, aged 1 to 10 years, with malaria attending the Paediatric Clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria from March to May 2007, were analysed. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 15.0 software. P value of less than or equal to 0.05 is considered as statistically significant. A total of 100 children were recruited for the study. Fifty children had P.falciparum malaria while the remaining was negative and were used as controls. There were more males with malaria (n=30) than females (n=20) and thirty two (64%) were below 5years while 18(36%) were above 5 years. Lymphocyte and monocyte counts were elevated among children with malaria relative to the control while haemoglobin and platelet levels were significantly decreased (P ≤0.05). The platelet level decreases as the degree of malaria parasitaemia increases. Haemalogical parameters in children with malaria infection are deranged. Thrombocytopenia could be used to determine presence and severity of malaria.
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