The Rhesus ABO Blood Group Distribution among Malaria Patients
A Case Study of Nasarawa State, Nigeria
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Abstract
Malaria is transmitted throughout Nigeria, with the majority of the population at risk of being infected with the disease. This study investigated the relationship between the ABO/Rhesus blood group types and malaria susceptibility in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 13, 2025, to May 22, 2025, in Nasarawa State. Convenient sampling was used to select the study participants. A total of 384 malaria patients, diagnosed by microscopy, were enrolled, and their blood group types were determined using the tile method. The results showed a higher prevalence of malaria in females (59.9%) than in males (40.1%). The age group 21-30 years had the highest prevalence (38.5%). The ABO/Rhesus blood group types revealed the following pattern of distribution for malaria positive individuals: ORh+ > BRh+ > ARh+ > ORh- > ARh- > ABRh+ > BRh- > ABRh- with the following distribution: 46.9%, 25.3%, 16.1%, 4.9%,3.1%, 2.9%, 0.5% and 0.3% respectively. Although statistically insignificant, the results showed that individuals with ORh+ had the highest prevalence of malaria in the study area, followed by those with BRh+ and ARh+. The findings suggest that blood group may not be the sole significant predictor of malaria susceptibility in this population. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore other biological markers that may influence susceptibility to malaria infection. These findings have implications for public health strategies, particularly in high-transmission areas, and underscore the need for expanded multi-regional studies to further elucidate the complex relationships between blood group types and malaria susceptibility. This could inform personalized medicine and contribute to understanding malaria susceptibility in similar populations.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ene Etim Okon, Jamey Peters Mairiga, Charity Akwa, Muhammad Bawa Yusuf, Emmanuella Eleojo Emmanuel, Edeminang Effiom Umo, Ogunnodi Olanrewaju Collins, Tamunoibigbariya Kellyiyi Ibama (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Ene Etim Okon, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department,
Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences,
Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Jamey Peters Mairiga, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department,
Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences,
Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Charity Akwa, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department,
Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences,
Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Muhammad Bawa Yusuf, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department,
Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences,
Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Bamidele Titilayo Oluwayemisi, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022 Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences.
Emmanuella Eleojo Emmanuel, Kogi State University, Nigeria.
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences,
Kogi State University, Nigeria.
Ogunnodi Olanrewaju Collins, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences,
Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Tamunoibigbariya Kellyiyi Ibama, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences,
Nasarawa State University, Keffi, P.M.B. 1022, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
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