Retrospective study of association between Plasmodium falciparum malaria density and platelet count at Presbyterian Hospital, Agogo
Frontiers in Malaria·
- DOI
- 10.3389/fmala.2026.1875477
- PMID
- —
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- —
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Routine hematology analyzers may provide a swift, objective mechanism to prioritize suspected cases and streamline patient flow in settings where conventional parasitological testing encounters operational barriers.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
Does automated platelet measurement correlate with parasite concentration, and can it function as a preliminary screening indicator for suspected infections?
Study design
A retrospective observational analysis examined laboratory records spanning approximately twelve months across a single clinical facility. Researchers applied non-parametric statistical tests alongside logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic modeling to assess predictive performance.
Population and setting
Clinical encounters recorded at a hospital in Agogo, Ghana, representing patients evaluated within a malaria-transmitting region.
Main findings
Confirmed infections corresponded with substantially lower median platelet concentrations relative to uninfected visits. Data revealed a moderate inverse association between parasite load and platelet values, although reductions leveled off at peak burdens. Model evaluation produced an area under the curve of 0.771, reflecting moderate discrimination but inadequate standalone diagnostic accuracy compared to standard microscopy.
Public-health relevance
Routine hematology analyzers may provide a swift, objective mechanism to prioritize suspected cases and streamline patient flow in settings where conventional parasitological testing encounters operational barriers.
Important limitations
The investigation utilizes retrospective administrative and laboratory data without independent validation cohorts. Because the provided text does not detail explicit methodological constraints, this summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract/metadata and requires the original paper for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
This work examines hematological indicators and transmission patterns within a defined regional healthcare setting. It focuses on evaluating peripheral blood metrics for case identification purposes rather than contributing to ongoing epidemiological tracking or validating broader monitoring networks.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 8 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.