Malaria Parasitaemia in Apparently Healthy Individuals and its Relationship to Serum Ferritin in a Malaria-Endemic Area: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: This study sought to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia among apparently healthy individuals in an endemic community and its relationship to ferritin levels. Here, (n=138) healthy residents of the Ayigya community aged 5 – 45 years were studied.

Methodology: Thick and thin smears of blood samples were prepared from the subjects under study and stained with 5% Giemsa solution for identification and speciation, respectively.

Results: The prevalence of asymptomatic parasitaemia in the 138 studied subjects was (8.7%). The mean ferritin levels were 65.2 μg/L (males) and 35.6 μg/L (females). In parasitaemic subjects, mean ferritin levels were 55.8 μg/L (males) and 24.5 μg/L (females). Mean haematocrit values for parasitaemic males were 43.5% and 42.3% for females, while mean Hemoglobin levels were 14 g/dl and 12.1g/dl respectively. The mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were 83.2 fl, 26.9 pg, 33.7 gl, for males and 91.1 fl, 27 pg, 33 gl for females. Ferritin correlated positively with haemoglobin (r = 0.25; p = 0.0141) and haematocrit (r = 0.19; p = 0.0475) as well as parasite density (r = 0.33; p = 0.0011).InterpretationIn the context of malaria, elevated serum ferritin levels have been associated with the presence of the disease, as the body increases its production of ferritin as a response to inflammation and infection. Therefore, the positive correlation between serum ferritin levels and malaria parasitaemia suggests that ferritin may be a useful biomarker for detecting and monitoring malaria infections in apparently healthy individuals in malaria-endemic regions.

Conclusion: This study found a significant positive correlation between asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia and serum ferritin. The 8.7% prevalent rate of asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia from this study serves as a reservoir of infection and can threaten any malaria control programme.

Note:
Funding declaration: The authors did not receive any funding for this study.

Conflict of Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical Approval: The study received approval from the Institute of Research, Innovation, and Development 100 (IRID) (Ref No: IRID/EC2023/HS0039). Informed consent was obtained from legal guardians or next of kin for participants below 18 years, while individuals aged 18 years and older provided their own written informed consent.

Keywords: Malaria, Asymptomatic Parasitaemia, ferritin level, Apparently healthy individuals