Serum ferritin and other haematological measurements in apparently healthyadults with malaria parasitaemia in Lagos, Nigeria

We studied 300 apparently healthy residents of Lagos aged 16-57 years. Thei r mean ferritin levels were 99.6 +/- 50.5 mu g/l (men aged 20-57) and 66.5 +/- 44 mu g/l (women aged 20-53) in aparasitaemic individuals. In parasitae mic subjects, mean ferritin levels were 133.1 +/- 48.3 mu g/l (men aged 20- 56) and 114.8 +/- 51.1 mu g/l (women aged 16-50). Mean haematocrit values f or aparasitaemic males were 45.7 +/- 5.6% and 37.9 +/- 5% for females, whil e mean haemoglobin levels were 153.2 +/- 1.5 mu g/l and 124 +/- 3 mu g/l, r espectively. The mean values for MCV (mean corpuscular volume), MCH (mean c orpuscular haemoglobin), MCHC (mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration) were 101.7 +/- 8 fl, 30.6 +/- 2.2 pg, 335 +/- 0.4 g/l and 99.8 +/- 10.1 fl, 29.1 +/- 6.5 pg, 335 +/- 6 g/l. Serum iron levels were 34.2 +/- 5 mu mol/l and 29.5 +/- 7.7 mu mol/l. All haematological parameters measured were sim ilar in both malaria parasitaemia positive and negative subjects, except fe rritin level which was significantly higher in parasitaemic individuals (P < 0.05). Ferritin concentration and malaria density (r = 0.76 in males, r = 0.74 in females, P < 0.05) were positively correlated. Ferritin levels of subjects infected with Plasmodium falciparum were significantly higher than of those infected with P. malariae (P < 0.05). Hence ferritin estimation w ithout examination for malaria parasitaemia in a malaria-endemic region suc h as Nigeria is not reliable. Asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia increases t he ferritin level. Considering the mean ferritin level we found in normal s ubjects on a balanced diet, routine iron supplementation may not be necessa ry In the treatment of malaria-induced anaemia in Nigeria.