title: Levels of malaria specific immunoglobulin G in Nigerian sickle cell disease patients with and without splenomegaly.
abstract: Fifty patients with sickle cell disease(SCD) reporting for routine clinical evaluation and fifty normal individuals at the University College Hospital (UCH) community were recruited into this study. They were matched for age and sex. Patients were aged 15 to 54 years. Forty-four (88.0%) of the patients were haemoglobin S while 6 (12.0%) were haemoglobin S + C. Blood samples were collected and examined for malaria parasite. Malaria specific Immunoglobulin G (pf-IgG) absorbance reading was estimated by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in all the patients. Of the forty-four patients with sickle cell anaemia, twenty-two had palpable spleen while the remainder (twenty-two) did not have palpable spleen, and four of the six with Haemoglobulin S + C had palpable enlarged spleens. Spleens were graded using the Hacketts grading system. Five (10%) had grade I splenic size, seventeen (34.0%) had splenic size grade II, one (2%) had grade III, two (4%) had grade IV splenic size and one (2%) had grade V splenic size. Malarial specific. Immunoglobulin G (pf-IgG) was estimated by the Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Thick blood films stained with Giemsa were examined microscopically for malaria parasite. The result revealed the mean plasmodium falciparum specific pf-Ig G absorbance reading in patients was 1.081 +/- 0.66 while that of the control was 1.037 +/- 0.38. The difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The high mean pf-IgG indicated intensive malarial exposure and higher impact of malaria infection in patients with sickle cell disease in this environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, University College Hospital, Ibadan.
authors.forename: U M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Abjah
authors.forename: Y A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Aken'Ova
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G