title: Serum ferritin and other haematological measurements in apparently healthy adults with malaria parasitaemia in Lagos, Nigeria.
abstract: We studied 300 apparently healthy residents of Lagos aged 16-57 years. Their mean ferritin levels were 99.6 +/- 50.5 microg/l (men aged 20-57) and 66.5 +/- 44 microg/l (women aged 20-53) in aparasitaemic individuals. In parasitaemic subjects, mean ferritin levels were 133.1 +/- 48.3 microg/l (men aged 20-56) and 114.8 +/- 51.1 microg/l (women aged 16-50). Mean haematocrit values for aparasitaemic males were 45.7 +/- 5.6% and 37.9 +/- 5% for females, while mean haemoglobin levels were 153.2 +/- 1.5 microg/l and 124 +/- 3 microg/l, respectively. The mean values for MCV (mean corpuscular volume), MCH (mean corpuscular haemoglobin), MCHC (mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration) were 101.7 +/- 8fl, 30.6 +/- 2.2 pg, 335 +/- 0.4 g/l and 99.8 +/- 10.1fl, 29.1 +/- 6.5 pg, 335 +/- 6 g/l. Serum iron levels were 34.2 +/- 5 micromol/l and 29.5 +/- 77 micromol/l. All haematological parameters measured were similar in both malaria parasitaemia positive and negative subjects, except ferritin level which was significantly higher in parasitaemic individuals (P < 0.05). Ferritin concentration and malaria density (r = 0.76 in males, r = 0.74 in females, P < 0.05) were positively correlated. Ferritin levels of subjects infected with Plasmodium falciparum were significantly higher than of those infected with P. malariae (P < 0.05). Hence ferritin estimation without examination for malaria parasitaemia in a malaria-endemic region such as Nigeria is not reliable. Asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia increases the ferritin level. Considering the mean ferritin level we found in normal subjects on a balanced diet, routine iron supplementation may not be necessary in the treatment of malaria-induced anaemia in Nigeria.
authors.affiliation: Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: N N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Odunukwe
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Salako
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Okany
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins