Iwunze Vincent Okechukwu
Life-link Medical Diagnostic & Laboratories Ltd, Nigeria
Title: Effect of malaria infection on packed cell volume and hemoglobin levels among patients at Ojo district of Lagos State Nigeria
Biography
Biography: Iwunze Vincent Okechukwu
Abstract
Malaria is a worldwide migrating diseases associated with anemia especially in tropical Africa. It causes high rate of mortality and morbidity among Sub-Saharan Africans. Anemia is a hematological disorder caused by a decrease in the production of Red blood cells, a born marrow failure or by an increase in the Red blood cells destruction. The study is to evaluate the effect of malaria infection on the packed cell volume and hemoglobin levels of patients. Blood samples were collected in EDTA bottles from patients attending Life-link Medical Diagnostic and Laboratories Ltd and patients from Ojo Health Center, all in Ojo district of Lagos state Nigeria. Presence or absence of malaria identified by staining with Giemsa stain and examined under oil immersion, PCV and Hb were estimated using Hawskley Haematocrit machine and Microfield colorimeter respectively. A total of 250 patients were studied between the month of June to October 2013, 180 (72%) malaria infected patients, 160 (89% Adult), 20 (11% children) and 70 (28%) of non-infected. The overall means for the Packed Cell Volume and Hemoglobin showed a significant difference in malaria infected patients. The mean Hb, PCV in infected were lower than the non-infected. Conclusively, there was a decrease in packed cell volume and Hemoglobin which seems to be due to the excessive destruction of red blood cells by the malaria parasite