Thrombocytopenia in malaria: its usefulness in a clinical setting. A study from Western Rajasthan, India.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the occurrence of thrombocytopaenia in hospitalised patients of malaria and to correlate its severity with the type of malaria in Western Rajasthan.

METHODS

A total of 100 patients with proven malaria were included in this study. Haematological parameters were determined by using an automated analyser. Fifty malaria-free patients were taken as controls.

RESULTS

In the study group of 100 patients; 45 patients had P. vivax malaria, 38 had P. Falciparum malaria and mixed malaria was detected in 17 patients. Out of 100 patients, 89 patients had thrombocytopaenia while out of 50 controls only eight (16%) patients had thrombocytopaenia (P < 0.001). Ninety-one percent of patients with thrombocytopaenia also had anaemia. Thrombocytopaenia was more commonly associated with complicated malaria compared to uncomplicated malaria (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Any patient in a malaria endemic zone presenting with acute febrile illness and having thrombocytopaenia and anaemia should be alerted to the possibility of malarial infection.