ABO BLOOD Group System as a Prognostic Indicator in Falciparum Malaria of Paediatric age Group

Abstract

Background: The association of ABO blood group with different diseases was being reported from time to time. Recent works from different parts of the world have shown that O blood group is less prone and AB and B group is more prone to develop severe falciparum malaria than other blood groups. In this part of India where there is a very high prevalence of P. falciparum malaria in Pediatric age group, this study was conducted to find if there is any association existing between ABO blood group and severe falciparum malaria. Material and Method: In this tertiary care hospital based case control study, we took 309 cases of diagnosed falciparum malaria Paediatric cases. 163 healthy controls were screened for ABO blood group. Clinical manifestations of the patients were recorded and classified as severe / complicated according to the WHO criteria. Statistical analysis was done to find out the P value and Odds ratio. Results: Frequency of severity in ‘O’ blood group patients was lower than A and B blood groups. Blood group B was significantly associated with severity when compared with uncomplicated (P<0.05, OR=0.56) and healthy controls (P<0.05, OR=0.56). Prevalence of O group in uncomplicated (P<0.001, OR=13.32) and healthy controls (P<0.005, OR=0.50) was significantly high compared to severe variety of O group. Conclusion: This study shows a relative immunity of O group for the severity of falciparum malaria and relative high propensity of B blood group for the severity of falciparum malaria in the pediatric age group in the southern Orissa.