LIVER FUNCTION BIOMAKERS IN HEPATITIS B AND MALARIA CO-INFECTION AMID PATIENTS WITH FEBRILE ILLNESS

Background: Malaria and hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infections pose a serious threat to public health throughout tropical and sub-Saharan Africa. The present study was conducted to analyze the status of liver enzymes and serum protein in patients with co-infection with HBV and malaria. Methods: Standard microscopy and Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) were used separately to screen for mono and co-infections in 200 outpatients with fever. Their serum protein and liver enzymes were tested. Place and Duration: The study is a descriptive cross-sectional study held in the Medicine department of Saidu Teaching Hospital, Saidu Sharif Swat for one-year duration from March 2019 to March 2020. Results: Of all the subjects, 25.5% were positive for malaria. Women had a higher rate of malaria infection (18%) than men (7.5%). The 15–24 age group had the highest incidence of malaria (11%). Thirteen (6.5%) patients were HBV positive. Males had a higher infection rate (4.5%) than females (2.0%). Males had a higher incidence of coinfection, 4.5%, and the 25-34 age groups had the highest rate of coinfection, 1.5%. The analyzed biochemical parameters in all categories of the examined show a significant difference in their mean values compared to the other groups (p