Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
The effect of α
+
-thalassaemia on the incidence of malaria and other diseases in children living on the coast of Kenya
PLoS Medicine, Volume 3, No. 5, Year 2006
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Background: The α-thalassaemias are the commonest genetic disorders of humans. It is generally believed that this high frequency reflects selection through a survival advantage against death from malaria; nevertheless, the epidemiological description of the relationships between α-thalassaemia, malaria, and other common causes of child mortality remains incomplete. Methods and Findings: We studied the α+-thalassaemia-specific incidence of malaria and other common childhood diseases in two cohorts of children living on the coast of Kenya. We found no associations between α+-thalassaemia and the prevalence of symptomless Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia, the incidence of uncomplicated P. falciparum disease, or parasite densities during mild or severe malaria episodes. However, we found significant negative associations between α+-thalassaemia and the incidence rates of severe malaria and severe anaemia (haemoglobin concentration < 50 g/l). The strongest associations were for severe malaria anaemia (> 10,000 P. falciparum parasites/μl) and severe nonmalaria anaemia; the incidence rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for α+-thalassaemia heterozygotes and homozygotes combined compared to normal children were, for severe malaria anaemia, 0.33 (95% CI, 0.15,0.73; p = 0.006), and for severe nonmalaria anaemia, 0.26 (95% CI, 0.09,0.77; p = 0.015). Conclusions: Our observations suggest, first that selection for α+-thalassaemia might be mediated by a specific effect against severe anaemia, an observation that may lead to fresh insights into the aetiology of this important condition. Second, although α+- thalassaemia is strongly protective against severe and fatal malaria, its effects are not detectable at the level of any other malaria outcome; this result provides a cautionary example for studies aimed at testing malaria interventions or identifying new malaria-protective genes. Copyright: © 2006 Wambua et al.
Authors & Co-Authors
Wambua, Sammy
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Mwangi, Tabitha Wanja
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Kortok, Moses Mosobo
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Uyoga, Sophie M.
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Macharia, Alex W.
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Mwacharo, Jedidah K.
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
Weatherall, David J.
United Kingdom, Oxford
Mrc Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine
Snow, Robert William
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
United Kingdom, Oxford
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Marsh, Kevin
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
United Kingdom, Oxford
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Williams, Thomas Neil
Kenya, Kilifi
Centre for Geographic Medicine Research
United Kingdom, Oxford
Nuffield Department of Medicine
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Statistics
Citations: 166
Authors: 10
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pmed.0030158
ISSN:
15491277
e-ISSN:
15491676
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Study Locations
Kenya