Hematological Differences among Malaria Patients in Rural and Urban Ghana

Abstract

Background: Scarce studies have addressed hematological differences of malaria in urban and rural regions.

Methods: Full or complete blood cell counts from 46 and 75 individuals (age range from < 1 to 92 years) with uncomplicated malaria infection living in urban (Accra) and rural (Dodowa) Ghana, respectively, were assessed. Sickle cell trait and patients were excluded from the study.

Results: Between overall groups, patients from Accra had significantly lower parasite count (p < 0.0001) and granulocyte number (p = 0.026). Children in Accra had a significantly lower parasitemia (p = 0.0013), hemoglobin (p = 0.0254), platelet count (p = 0.0148) and red blood cell levels (p = 0.0080) when compared with the children of Dodowa. In adults, mean cell hemoglobin (p = 0.0086) and parasite count (p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in Dodowa.

Conclusion: These results indicate that children living in urban setting may experience a greater anemic effect to malaria as compared with those living in a rural setting.

Keywords: Ghana; Plasmodium falciparum malaria; anemia; exposome; global health; hematological parameters.