Oxidative Stress Markers in Malaria Patients: Assessing the Impact of Parasitaemia Severity at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Aim: The present study aimed to assess the levels of some oxidative stress markers in malaria parasite-infected subjects attending Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Background: Malaria can be fatal, the severity of malaria infection is closely linked to parasite density, the number of malaria parasites per microliter of blood. Higher parasite densities are associated with increased risk of severe malaria complications, such as cerebral malaria, anemia, and death.

Methodology: This Cross-sectional study was carried out at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital and Pamel Laboratories & Diagnostics Limited, both in Port Harcourt, between July 2023 and July 2024. A total of 150 individuals were initially screened for various health conditions, resulting in 89 subjects deemed suitable for the study. This group comprised 43 males and 46 females, with 29 participants serving as controls and 60 participants as malaria-positive subjects. Blood specimens were obtained from each subject, and serum samples were extracted after centrifugation. These serum samples were used to assay SOD, TAS, TOS, and OSI using the ELISA method. Additionally, subjects were categorized based on parasitaemia severity and malaria treatment history. Data was analyzed using GraphPad Prism version 9.02. Descriptive statistics involving the use of Mean and Standard Deviation. Inferential Statistics involving the use of one-way ANOVA (PostHoc: Tukey’s multiple comparison test), students statistical t-test, and Pearson’s correlation. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results: The study found no significant differences in SOD (p=0.4877), TAS (p=0.4877), and TOS (0.4877) levels between control and malaria-positive subjects, but OSI was higher (p=0.0430) in malaria-positive subjects. Based on malaria severity, there were no significant differences in SOD (p=0.7853), TAS (p=0.7853), and TOS (p=0.7853) levels among mild, moderate, and high parasitaemia cases. However, OSI (p=0.0490) levels were elevated in high parasitaemia cases. Malaria treatment normalized all markers within 1-8 months. These results suggest that malaria parasitaemia is associated with increased oxidative stress. The severity of parasitaemia influences OSI levels, while malaria treatment typically returns most markers to baseline within 8 months.

Conclusion: Further research should explore the potential long-term effects of oxidative stress in malaria patients.