Malaria Positive Cases with Reference to Liver Function Test among Patients Attending in Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College and Research Centre, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

Introduction: Malaria is also an important infectious vector-borne disease caused by a Plasmodium species. According to the World Health Organization, involvement of liver in Plasmodium Falciparum malaria is not an uncommon presentation and presence of jaundice (bilirubin ≥3 mg/dl) is one of the signs of malaria. In severe and complicated malaria, a term “malarial hepatitis” is commonly used to describe hepatocytic dysfunction; however, actual inflammation is almost never seen in the liver parenchyma. An increased level of serum bilirubin along with increased level of serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) to more than three times the upper limit of normal, is main characteristics of malarial hepatitis. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 80 peripheral blood smear (PBS) confirmed cases of malaria. A collection of blood sample was done by venepuncture under aseptic conditions in the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tube for the diagnosis of malaria and in a plane vial to perform liver function test (LFT). Diagnosis of malaria was done by the microscopy of PBS and rapid malarial antigen test. The LFT was performed using autoanalyzer and Erba biodiagnostic kit, according to manufacturer instructions. Results: Out of total 80 malaria positive patients, 60 patients (75%) had got deranged LFT in which 35 (70%) were males and 25 (83.33%) were females. According to serum bilirubin levels, patients were classified into three Groups A (59 patients, serum bilirubin <3 mg/dl), B (21 patients, serum bilirubin 3-10 mg/dl), and C (no patient, serum bilirubin >10 mg/dl). Total malaria positive patients had total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, indirect bilirubin, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, SGPT, and alkaline phosphatase levels in the range of 2.17 ± 1.78 mg/dl, 0.88 ± 0.77 mg/dl, 1.29 ± 1.12 mg/dl, 45.88 ± 28.99 IU/L, 41.04 ± 26.45 IU/L, and 104.48 ± 67.51 U/L, respectively. Conclusion: Liver dysfunction in malarial infection ranged from mild elevation of liver enzymes and serum bilirubin (≥3 mg/dl) to acute hepatitis. It indicates severe illness with a high frequency of complications and mortality rates.