Malaria infection and its association with socio-demographics, preventive measures, and co-morbid ailments among adult febrile patients in rural Southwestern Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: The study determined the prevalence of malaria infection and its association with socio-demographics, environmental, housing, and co-morbid ailment factors. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional of 330 consented adult febrile patients who were recruited at a tertiary health facility in rural Southwestern Nigeria. The standardized interviewer-administered questionnaire sought information on their socio-demographics, environmental, housing, and co-morbid ailment factors. Venous blood samples were collected and processed for malaria parasite detection, retroviral screening, glycated hemoglobin, and hemoglobinopathy. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. The strength of the association between independent and dependent variables was measured using odds ratio and 95% confidence interval with a significant level ( p value <0.05). Results: The prevalence of malaria parasitemia was 63.3% (95% confidence interval: 57.9%–68.5%). Being a farmer ( p = 0.002), lack of formal education ( p = 0.043), low-income earners ( p = 0.031), presence of bushes ( p = 0.048), stagnant water ( p = 0.042), not sleeping under long-lasting insecticide-treated nets ( p < 0.001), and sickle cell disease ( p = 0.041) were significantly associated with malaria infection. Conclusion: The study revealed that there is a high prevalence of malaria infection in rural Southwestern Nigeria. There may be a need to pay greater attention to adult populations in rural areas for malaria intervention and control programs.

Malaria among the elderly in five communities of Osun East district, Southwest Nigeria: Prevalence and association with non-communicable diseases

“…It is possible that, unlike immunity to other infectious diseases, malaria immunity – the mechanisms of which are not yet fully elucidated – is not significantly impacted by comorbidity among people living in malarial endemic zones such as Nigeria. This finding is however contrary to the reports by Chukwuocha et al 15 and Ibrahim et al 30 who, respectively, demonstrated statistical association between malaria infection and certain NCDs. Also, studies in non-endemic regions among patients, who returned from endemic areas, showed significant association between NCDs and the risk of malaria infection as well as its severity.…”

“…The studies by Chukwuocha et al. 15 and Ibrahim et al, 30 for example, were facility-based studies among symptomatic patients who presented for care and are more likely to have more severe forms of malaria than the respondents in our study, which was community based.…”

“…The questionnaire which was developed for the study was not previously validated nor pilot-tested in the study area. It was however adapted from a previous work by Ibrahim et al 30 The lack of validation or pilot-testing before its use in this study potentially limits the validity and reliability. The presence of malaria parasitaemia was determined with the use of the RDT kit instead of microscopy, which is the gold standard.…”

“…A structured questionnaire adapted from a previous study by Ibrahim et al. 30 was used to obtain the socio-demographic variables and past medical history of the respondents. The self-reported medical history was based on previous diagnosis by qualified medical professionals.…”

“…In another study by Ibrahim et al among adult febrile patients, there was also a significant association between the prevalence of malaria infection and certain NCDs such as hypertension and diabetes. 30 It is important to continually evaluate the dynamics of malaria among older persons, particularly in light of the aforementioned considerations, as it is the most common infectious disease in Nigeria. This study compared the malaria prevalence among elderly persons (⩾60 years) with those who were less than 60 years.…”