Diagnostic value of Platelet count in Malaria
464-466
Correspondence
Faseela T.S, 708, Plama Residency, Kuntikana, Mangalore, Karnataka,
India-575004.
Email: faseela_abbas@yahoo.co.in, Phone: +91 9481140834,
+91 9945354173
Objective: To evaluate the significance of the platelet count in the diagnosis of malaria.
Design: A hospital based prospective study.
Place and duration of study: Department of Microbiology, AJIMS, Mangalore. From January 2010 to July 2010.
Material and methods: A total of 1101 patients with a short history of febrile illness were included in the study. The peripheral blood was tested for malarial parasites by the quantitative buffy coat (QBC) method. The complete blood counts of all the sub-jects were done by using an automated haematology analyzer.
Results: Among the 1101 patients with febrile illness who participated in the study, 267 were positive for malaria by the QBC method. Of these, 221 patients had thrombocytopaenia.
Conclusion: Thrombocytopaenia is a common haematological finding in malaria, having a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 68%. Our study stresses the importance of thrombocytopaenia as an indicator for acute malaria.