Haemoglobin Genotype, ABO/Rhesus Blood Groups and Malaria among Students Presenting to a Private University Health Centre in Nigeria

Nosakhare L. IDEMUDIA³

¹ Department of Health Services, Redeemer’s University, Osun State, Nigeria.

² African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Nigeria.

³ Department of Medical Laboratory Services, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.

^*Corresponding Author

Onaiwu T. OHIENGBOMWAN

Department of Health Services, Redeemer’s University,Osun State

Nigeria

Email: royalesteemplc@yahoo.com

Phone: +2348039143133

Abstract

Background: Malaria has remained a major issue of public health concern. Protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium are the causative agents of malaria and an infected Anopheles mosquito transmits the parasite. Hb genotype and ABO blood groups have been implicated as part of the host innate features that may confer protection against the infection. Methods: This study was a retrospective study which involved the use of laboratory data of students who reported for malaria test in 2017/2018 with the corresponding Hb genotype and ABO/Rhesus blood groups identified. Results: A total of 2294 subjects participated in the study comprising 1039 (45.3%) males and 1255 (54.7%) females. From the study, 921 (40.1%) subjects were malaria positive giving a prevalence of 40.1% among the participants. Blood group O (60.5%) had the highest distribution followed by group B (19.9%), A (17.5%) and AB (2.1%).  This same pattern of distribution was repeated for malaria positive and negative participants. The ABO/Rhesus blood group revealed the following pattern of distribution for malaria positive subjects: ORh+ > BRh+ > ARh+ > ORh- > ARh- >ABRh- > BRh- > ABRh+ {58.3%, 17.9%, 16.5%, 2.8%, 2.1%, 0.9%, 0.8% and 0.8%} and ORh+ > BRh+ > ARh+ > ORh- > ABRh+ >ARh- > BRh- > ABRh- {56.7%, 20.5%, 16.2%, 3.4%, 2.1%, 0.7%, 0.3% and 0.2%} for malaria negative subjects. Meanwhile, 2127 (94.7%) were Rhesus positive while 122 (5.3%) were Rhesus negative, out of the 921 malaria positive subjects, 861 (93.5%) were Rhesus positive while 60 (6.5%) were Rhesus negative. HbAA (66.7%) had the highest distribution among the study participants followed by HbAS (23.8%), HbSS (4.8%), HbAC (2.9%), HbSC (1.8%) and HbCC (0.04%), this was the same pattern observed among malaria positive and negative subjects. Conclusion: The high prevalence of malaria in this study is a pointer to the high level of endemicity and asymptomatic nature of malaria in this part of the world

Keywords:Haemoglobin genotype, ABO/Rhesus blood groups, Malaria, Nigeria

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