Thrombocytopenia among the cases of malaria in pediatric patients presenting at tertiary care hospital,karachi

Objective: to determine the prevalence of thrombocytopenia in the cases of malaria in pediatric patients presenting at a tertiary care hospital of the karachi city. method: a prospective,cross-sectional study has been conducted at ziauddin university hospital,karachi,from the month of january 2014 to december 2014. patients,who were falling in the diagnostic criteria of malaria visiting opd presenting sign and symptoms were included in the study,where they were further assessed for thrombocytopenia and severity of the condition. results: the target population was assessed for identifying the significance of thrombocytopenia in malaria where most of the cases found positive which were recruited from inclusion criteria. a total of 165 children were recruited into the study amongst which 53.9% had positive results for plasmodium vivax while 46.1% for plasmodium falciparum. conclusion: thrombocytopenia raises major health concerns and emphasizes the need for better health care as it can serve as a major warning sign for malaria,specifically in the regions of pakistan where it is recognized as an endemic. © 2017,pakistan pediatric journal. all rights reserved.