Association of ABO Blood Group/Rhesus Factors in Malaria Susceptible Patients in Keffi, Nasarawa State
Keywords:
Malaria Parasite, Susceptibility, Rhesus blood group, PrevalenceAbstract
Malaria is a major cause of death within the sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. This study was aimed to investigate the association among the ABO/Rhesus blood group with individuals that are susceptible to malaria infection in Keffi Local Government Area (LGA), Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A total of 150 subjects confirmed with different degrees of Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia were used for this study. The blood samples of malaria patients were analysed by thin and thick blood films, and their blood group types determined using the tile method. The results showed a higher prevalence of malaria in females (64.7%) than males (35.3%). The age group 31-40 years had the highest prevalence (25.3%). The ABO/Rhesus blood group types revealed the following pattern of distribution for malaria positive individuals: ORh+ > ARh+ > BRh+ > ABRh+ > ORh- > ARh- with the following distribution (44.7%), (21.3%), (18.7%), (6.7%), (4.7%) and (4.0%) respectively. Although ORh+ was the most frequent blood group among malaria-positive individuals, no statistically significant association was found between blood group and malaria susceptibility. It is however important to state that the high prevalence of blood group O among malaria patients may be reflective of the population’s blood group distribution rather than increased susceptibility to malaria.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ene E. Okon, Jamey P. Mairiga, Charity U. Akwa, Favour K. Adams, Nneka E. Ezema, Osekweyi I. Odonye, Bawa. Y. Muhammad (Author)
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