Plasmodium falciparum malaria: its effects on some haematological parameters in normal and sickle cell Nigerian children.

The effect of Plasmodium falciparum malaria on the iron status was determined in 80 children: normal children without malaria (20) and with malaria (20), and sickle cell anaemia without malaria (17) and with malaria (23). Iron status was assessed using serum transferrin, serum iron, transferrin saturation and haemoglobin. The non-malaria sickle cell anaemia (SCA) group had lower transferrin (234.0 +/- 21.0) and haemoglobin (8.1 +/- 0.4) than non-malaria normal group (260.6 +/- 17.1 mg/100 ml, and 12.5% respectively). Serum iron was higher in sickle cell anaemia (125.1 +/- 17.1) than non-malaria normals (119.2 +/- 1 microgram/100 ml). Malaria caused an increase in serum transferrin, TIBC and serum iron in both normal and SCA children; these changes were more dramatic in normal than in SCA children.