Correlation of Anemia with Malaria in Children of Age Group 1-12 Years Admitted at Khairpur Medical College Hospital

Abstract

Malaria is a major cause of anemia in children with a complex, bidirectional relationship caused by the parasite plasmodium leading to hemolysis and anemia. Malaria can also increase the risk of severe anemia, as a lower hemoglobin concentration can lead to decreased oxygen delivery to tissues, exacerbating hypoxia and organ dysfunction. Anemia is a disorder characterized by a low hemoglobin concentration or a low red blood cell count, whereas malaria is a parasite infection carried by the bite of infected mosquitoes. According to data from the World Health Organization, Pakistan reported more than 3.4 million suspected cases of malaria from January to August of 2022, which is more than the 2.6 million instances that were noted in 2021. The main objective of proposed study is to investigate the correlation of malaria with anemia in children of age group 1-12 years. Study was conducted on 260 patients of malaria and anaemia, and 150 individuals were used as control group. Demographic result showed socioeconomics, residential locations, literacy and detailed history about malaria and anaemia. The finding from survey questionnaire, we concluded that socioeconomic conditions, residential locations and literacy rate are significant risk factors of the disease. The incidence of correlation of malaria with anaemia is determined to be higher in male than female children with school going child above the 5 years of age. The 208 children were plasmodium vivax positive, 42 children were plasmodium falciparum positive, and 10 patients weremixed picture. In plasmodium vivax positive patients 33% had blood transfusions which indicated the severity of anemia with PV (Hb < 5.0 mg/dl. Whereas in plasmodium falciparum positive patients 16% had blood transfusions which showed the severity of anemia with PF (Hb < 6.0 mg/dl. Malaria frequently associated with anaemia in term of haemoglobin, erythrocytopenia and thrombocytopenia. The conclusion drawn from study, there is strong correlation of anaemia with malaria in children