International Journal of Contemporary Medicine
  • Year: 2015
  • Volume: 3
  • Issue: 2

Association of ABO Blood Group System and Falciparum Malaria

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool

*Corresponding author: Dr Kasa Lakshmi, MBBS, MD (Pathology), Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Kurnool Medical College, Alluri Sitarama Raju Nagar, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. Email: drklakshmi55@gmail.com

Abstract

The study was conducted to find if there is any association between ABO blood group and severe falciparum malaria in pediatric cases.

This study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. A 340 cases of diagnosed falciparum malaria pediatric cases and 180 healthy controls were screened for ABO blood group. Clinical manifestations of the patients were recorded and classified as severe malaria according to the WHO criteria.

Blood group B was significantly associated with severity when compared with uncomplicated (P<0.05, OR=0.59) and healthy controls (P<0.05, OR=0.57). Incidence of severity in ‘O’ blood group patients was lower than A and B blood groups. Prevalence of O group in uncomplicated (P<0.001, OR=14.32) and healthy controls (P<0.005, OR=0.50) was significantly high compared to severe variety of O group.

This study showed a relative immunity of O group and a high inclination of B blood group for the severe falciparum malaria pediatric cases in a tertiary hospital of Kurnool district.

Keywords

falciparum malaria, ABO blood group, pediatric subjects