Prevalence of malaria and associated clinical manifestations and myeloperoxidase amongst populations living in different altitudes of Mezam division, North West Region, Cameroon

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Ntonifor Helen Ngum, Ngahbort Belthine Fakeh, Abongwa Edith Lem, Oumar Mahamat
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2023
• Subjects: Altitude; Malaria; Hemoglobin; White blood cells; Platelet; Myeloperoxidase; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04438-6; https://doaj.org/article/f80f22255cd94f2b89a2bb4558d5fbfc

Abstract Background Malaria is a growing problem in Africa, with prevalence varies from areas to areas due to several factors including the altitude. This study aimed to investigate the malaria distribution and its relationship with level of some blood parameters and plasma myeloperoxidase (MPO) in population of three localities with different altitudes. Methods A total of 150 participants were recruited in each locality and facial body temperature of each was measured using a forehead digital thermometer. Blood samples were collected and used diagnose malaria parasite using the rapid test followed by Giemsa stain microscopy and have the full blood count and MPO level using a colorimetric method. Results The overall prevalence of falciparum malaria was 34.7%, with no difference between the three communities, but Bambili of high altitude had the highest prevalence (70.7%). A majority of the infected persons had mild malaria, with most cases being asymptomatic (temperature < 37.5 ºC). Patients had significant increase of geometric mean malaria parasite density (GMPD) in Bambili (1755 ± 216 parasites/µL) and Bamenda (1060 ± 2515 parasites/µL of blood) than patients in Santa (737 ± 799 parasites/µL). There was a significant risk to have malaria infection in Bambili (OR = 33.367, p = 0.021) than in Santa (OR = 2.309, p = 0.362). Bambili’ participants of 6–10 years showed a high prevalence of malaria (85.7%). GMPD was significantly different between males (p = 0.010) as well as females (p = 0.000). Participants from Santa (11.2 ± 3.2 g/dL) and Bambili (12.6 ± 2.4 g/dL) had a high haemoglobin concentration than those from Bamenda (10.6 ± 2.1 g/dL). There was a significant difference in the WBC counts and platelet counts among infected participants in the study areas. MPO level had an increasing trend among infected participants in Santa (2.378 ± 0.250), Bambili (2.582 ± 0.482) and Bamenda (2.635 ± 0.466). Conclusion The results of the present study demonstrated that altitudinal variations significant impact the risk ...