Abstract.
No data are available in the literature to indicate whether low-level Plasmodium falciparum infections induce lipid parameter changes. We hypothesized that low-level P. falciparum infections induce significant changes in common lipid parameters. We retrospectively selected samples from a malaria prophylaxis study to measure the impact of sustained parasite clearance on common lipid parameters [total cholesterol (TChol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (LDL-c) and triglycerides (TG)] in 47 apparently healthy schoolchildren whose P. falciparum parasitemia was initially below 1000/µl. After parasite clearance, mean values were significantly increased for Tchol (P<0.001) and HDL-c (P<0.001), unlike LDL-c (P=0.93); and TG were significantly decreased from the baseline (P=0.004). No significant change was found in a control group. This is the first study showing significant lipid changes related to low-level P. falciparum infections. Further studies are needed to explore the relevance of this finding at the population level in hyperendemic malaria areas.
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Faucher, JF., Ngou-Milama, E., Missinou, M. et al. The impact of malaria on common lipid parameters. Parasitol Res 88, 1040–1043 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-002-0712-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-002-0712-6