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Abstract

We assessed the relationship between genetic indices and their susceptibility to malaria in children. A total of 372 children (210 clinically ill and 162 healthy) attending University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria, were screened for malaria parasitaemia, blood group, haemoglobin genotypes, haemoglobin concentration (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV), using standard parasitological and haemotological methods of diagnosis. One hundred and fifty six (74.3%) of the clinically-ill children examined were parasitaemic for falciparum malaria. There was no significant difference between infection and sex. There was significant (p<0.05) difference between prevalence of malaria in the children and the expected. Children with genotype AA (92.3%) were more susceptible to malaria parasite than AS (5.1%) and SS (2.6%). The association of haemoglobin genotype with malaria was highly significant (p<0.001). The degree of susceptibility of different blood groups to malaria infection were blood groups O (46.2%); A (26.9%); B (21.8%); AB (5.1%). There was a significant (p<0.05) association between the blood group and malaria infection. Children with malaria parasitaemia had a significantly (p<0.001) lower haemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume than children without parasitaemia.