Malaria parasitaemia and its impact on biological parameters among children <16 years old attending the Nkwen District Hospital, Cameroon.

Introduction: Malaria remains a major public health problem in children in endemic areas. This study aimed to determine its prevalence, intensity, and assess how biological parameters like RBC count, haemoglobin, haematocrit, glycaemia, platelet count and WBC count vary with respect to parasitaemia in children <16 years attending the Nkwen District Hospital, northwest Cameroon.

Materials and methods: The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted between March-May 2023. Structured, closed-ended questionnaires were administered to obtain information. Patients' temperature was measured using an infrared forehead digital thermometer. Malaria was diagnosed by RDT and positive samples Giemsa-stained for parasitaemia. Full blood count was performed using a haemolyser and glycaemia measured using a glucometer.

Results: In total, 321 children were examined. Overall prevalence of malaria (all P. falciparum) was 22.7% (73/321), with 24.7% (18/73), 34.2% (25/73) and 41.1% (30/73) having low, moderate and high parasitaemias, respectively. Overall GMPD was 2.670.8±179.9/μL; children aged 6-10 years were hit hardest (5.377.7 ± 3.2/μL). Malaria-positive children had significantly lower RBC count, Hb concentration, Hct, blood sugar, WBC and platelet counts (p<0.05) compared to those that were negative. Among positive children, RBC count, Hct, Hb, lymphocyte and platelet count each showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease while total WBC and granulocyte count each showed a significant (p<0.05) increase with increasing levels of parasitaemia.

Conclusions: Changes in biological parameters during malaria are sensitive but poor specific indicators of malaria because they may overlap with symptoms of other infections. More attention should be given to children aged 6-10 years during strategic planning and design of malaria control programmes.