Abstract
BackgroundMalaria is a major mosquito-borne public health problem in Thailand with varied haematological consequences. The study sought to elucidate the haematological changes in people who suspected malaria infection and their possible predictive values of malaria infection.MethodsHaematological parameters of 4,985 patients, including 703 malaria-infected and 4,282 non-malaria infected, who admitted at Phop Phra Hospital, Tak Province, an area of malaria endemic transmission in Thailand during 2009 were evaluated.ResultsThe following parameters were significantly lower in malaria-infected patients; red blood cells (RBCs) count, haemoglobin (Hb), platelets count, white blood cells (WBCs) count, neutrophil, monocyte, lymphocyte and eosinophil counts, while mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) were higher in comparison to non-malaria infected patients. Patients with platelet counts < 150,000/uL were 31.8 times (odds ratio) more likely to have a malaria infection. Thrombocytopenia was present in 84.9% of malaria-infected patients and was independent of age, gender and nationality (P value < 0.0001).ConclusionPatients infected with malaria exhibited important changes in most of haematological parameters with low platelet, WBCs, and lymphocyte counts being the most important predictors of malaria infection. When used in combination with other clinical and microscopy methods, these parameters could improve malaria diagnosis and treatment.
Highlights
Malaria is a major mosquito-borne public health problem in Thailand with varied haematological consequences
The present study aim to examine the occurrences of haematological changes and their diagnostic values in people infected with malaria in Phop Phra Hospital
Seven hundred and three (n = 4,985) of the subjects had malaria infection confirmed by microscopy while the remaining were noninfection and were used as controls
Summary
Malaria is a major mosquito-borne public health problem in Thailand with varied haematological consequences. The study sought to elucidate the haematological changes in people who suspected malaria infection and their possible predictive values of malaria infection. Changes in haematological parameters are likely to be influenced by any disease condition including endemic diseases, such as malaria, that can affects health of mankind with various clinical presentations. Malaria is a major cause of deaths in the tropical area of the world. Haematological changes are some of the most common complications in malaria and they play a major role in malaria pathogenesis. These changes involve the major cell types such as RBCs, leucocytes and Burma [13]. Clinical diagnosis is widely used for diagnosis of malaria especially in these areas
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