Browsing by Author "Ayodo, George"

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    Age- and sex- specific differences in haematological abnormalities associated with HBB gene polymorphisms among patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum
    (Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Reports, 2026) Kosiyo, Paul Mboya; Ayodo, George; Munde, Elly Ochieng
    Age and sex influence haematological abnormalities in Plasmodium falciparum malaria, but their link to Beta sub-unit genes (HBB) gene polymorphisms is unclear. This study examined these factors in infected patients. In this analytical cross-sectional study of 234 participants in Kenya (90 infected with malaria, 144 non-infected; 20 with HbSS, 214 with HbAS/HbAA), individuals aged ≥6 months with fever >37.5°C were recruited. Participants were stratified by infection status, HBB genotype, and age groups (6–59, 60–120, >120 months). P. falciparum was detected via microscopy, hematological parameters with Celtac G MEK-9100K, and HBB genotyping by real-time PCR. Statistical tests compared proportions, laboratory features, and associations between age/sex and hematological abnormalities. Haemoglobin (Hb) was lower (p=0.002), while Mean cell volume (MCV) (p=0.036) and platelet count (p=0.046) were higher in those infected and have carriage of HbSS relative to those infected and have carriage of HbAS/HbAA, respectively. White blood cell count (WBC) was comparable between the two groups with p=0.076. Participants of age >120 months had increased odds of anaemia as shown by low Hb [OR=13.362, 95% CI=2.742-65.119, p=0.001], low HCT [OR= 3.132, 95% CI= 1.783-24.694, p= 0.002] and low RBC [OR=7.888, 95% CI=1.691-36.791, p=0.009]. Additionally, older patients had reduced risk of agranulocytosis [OR=0.208, 95% CI=0.056-0.778, p=0.002]. With respect to sex, platelets were higher (p=0.007) in infected females relative to infected males; none of the abnormalities was associated with sex within the context of this study's population and sample size. HBB polymorphisms modulate haematological abnormalities and older age (>120 months) is strongly associated with increased risk of anaemia, which is more pronounced in P. falciparum infection. Anaemia and related abnormalities are most evident in HbSS carriers compared to HbAS/HbAA, while sex shows no association with these haematological changes.