Haematological abnormalities in children with sickle cell disease and non-severe malaria infection in western Kenya

Abstract

In Plasmodium falciparum infection, clinical conditions such as anaemia, thrombocytopenia and leukocytosis are common. Mutation in haemoglobin sub-unit beta gene (HBB) may be a genetic factor responsible for these haematological changes during infection. However, the contributions of the carriage of different HBB genotypes on these changes remain largely unknown. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated haematological abnormalities in P. falciparum-infected children (n = 217, aged 1–192 months) with different haemoglobin sub-unit beta (HBB) genotypes (HbAA, HbAS and HbSS). Children with acute febrile conditions were recruited at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital at the outpatient clinic. Haematological parameters were determined using Beckman Coulter counter ACTdiff2™ while HBB genotyping was done using TaqMan® SNP genotyping assay. Chi-square (χ2) was …