Appearance Characteristics of the Atypical Lymphocytes in the Blood of the Plasmodium vivax Malarial Patients

Yoon, Jong Hyun; Cho, Han Ik

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Malaria has been new epidemic in Korea since 1993 and most of them have been Plasmodium vivax. Although there were some reports about appearance of atypical lymphocytes in malaria, there was no analytical report about their characteristics. We tried to make a useful reference via statistical analysis of the Korean malaria patients.
METHODS
Forty-nine malarial patients and 197 healthy controls were prepared. The atypical lymphocytes were counted via complete blood count (CBC) and microscopic examination of blood smears. Blood concentration and growing-stage differential count of the parasites were measured. Mean differences and correlation between two groups about CBC, and prevalence and mean differences between them about the atypical lymphocytes were analyzed. Correlation between parasitemia and atypical lymphocytes, and correlation between developmental stage of malaria and atypical lymphocytes were analyzed, too.
RESULTS
There were differences between the patients and the controls in almost all CBC items except MCH and MCHC. Atypical lymphocytes were appeared in all the malarial cases and only 11.7% of controls. Correlation between RBC and hemoglobin, and atypical lymphocytes showed positive correlation in the cases, and platelet count did negative correlation. Thrombocytopenia or anemia was found in 48 cases (98%). Atypical lymphocytes were more frequently observed in thrombocytopenia or anemia-free cases. There were no correlation between parasitemia, developmental stage of malaria and atypical lymphocytes.
CONCLUSION
Atypical lymphocytes were found in all cases. The count of atypical lymphocytes in blood was correlated negatively with hemoglobin and positively with platelet count, but there were no correlation between parasitemia, developmental stage of malaria and atypical lymphocytes.