EVALUATION OF MALARIA ON HEMATOLOGICAL BASIS

Objective: To see the effect of malaria on platelet count and hemoglobin in adults with malaria.

Study Design: A descriptive study.

Place and Duration: In the Medicine department of Nishtar Hospital Multan for one year duration from March 2019 to March 2020.

Methodology: The study included adult patients admitted with a fever of less than seven days who had a positive malaria parasite swab. After a detailed history and thorough examination, patients were examined to determine the cause of the fever. All patients with localized cause of fever and history of drug (anti-malarial) treatment were excluded. All patients were examined with complete blood counts and serial peripheral smears for malarial parasite. A peripheral blood smear test for malarial parasite was considered the gold standard in the diagnosis of malaria. The cut-off value for low hemoglobin (anemia) was taken as 10 gm / dl, and platelets below 150 x 109 / l were used to define thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia patients were divided into three categories. Mild thrombocytopenia was defined as patients with platelet counts <50 x 10.9 / L to> 150 x 109 / L, moderate thrombocytopenia included patients with platelet counts <20 x 109 / L to> 50 x 109 / L.

Results: Tested in a total of one hundred patients with positive smear, of which 91% had low and 9% normal platelet counts. 95% had Vivax and only 5% had Falciparum malaria. The mean platelet count was 93x1 09 / L. The mean platelet count in Falciparum was 54 x 110 / L, whereas in malaria vivax it was 98 x 10 s / L. Sixty-eight (68%) patients had anemia. The average hemoglobin was 9.20 g / d1. The mean hemoglobin concentration in Falciparum malaria was 8.00 gm / dl, whereas in Vivax - 9.40 g / dl. Conclusions: A higher incidence of mild to moderate thrombocytopenia and anemia was observed in hospitalized adults with malaria.

Key words: adults, malaria, thrombocytopenia, anemia.