Inflammatory Markers and Some Haematological Profiles in Apparently Healthy Residents of Adeyanba Village and Egor Urban Communities in Edo State

ABSTRACT
Introduction: Differences in lifestyle, access to healthcare and type of food consumed may cause variation in inflammatory biomarkers among persons in different location and ethnic background. There is paucity of data on the effect of location on inflammatory markers in Nigerian population. Aim: This is a cross-sectional study aimed at determining the effect of location on status of some inflammatory markers among residents of Adeyanba village and Egor urban communities of Edo State. Methodology: A total of 200 participants (consisting of 100 from each community) were recruited. Whole blood sample was collected from each participant and analysed for albumin, complete blood count (FBC) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were calculated from complete blood count parameters. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) was determined using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay technique. Data obtained were compared between rural and urban by students’ t- test, using the statistical software INSTAT®. Results: Comparatively, the serum albumin concentration was slightly higher in urban dwellers than in the village dwellers (p=0.5). Whereas there was statistically higher Ferritin concentration (p=0.0001) among Egor urban dwellers than the Adeyanba village dwellers. Adeyanba rural dwellers had a significantly higher total White Blood Cell counts (p=0.001), ESR (p=0.001), PLR (p=0.001), NLR (p=0.001) and CRP (p=0.01) than their urban counterparts. Conclusion: This study suggests that rural residents may have a higher risk for inflammatory conditions than urban population. This underlines the need for regular screening of rural populations for markers of inflammatory disorders and provision of intervention strategies for rural residents of Edo State.