Serum Sex Hormonal Levels in Malaria Infected Symptomatic HIV (Stage 11) Male Subjects on Antiretroviral Therapy (Art) in Nnewi, South Eastern, Nigeria

The present study was designed to determine the impact of HIV and malaria co-infection on the serum hormonal levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Lutetnizing Hormone (LH), Testosterone, Estrogen, Progesterone, Prolactin and Cortisol symptomatic HIV seropositive male participants on ART. A total of 275 adult participants aged between 18 and 60 year, were randomly recruited for this study. The participants were enlisted based on World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria. 139 symptomatic HIV infected participants on ART of which 70 of them had malaria eo-infection and 136 HIV seronegative control participants of which 68 of them had malaria co-infection. Blood samples were collected from the participants for the determination of HIV status by Immunoaseay, Thick and thin films prepared from the blood samples were examined and malaria parasites density was counted according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation. Also, ELISA method was used to assay for serum sex hormones. The result showed that the serum LH, FSH, Progesterone and Estrogen levels were significantly higher in malaria injected and malaria uninfected symptomatic HIV participants on ART (in each case) compared with malaria Infected and malaria uninfected HIV seronegative control participants (p<0.05). The mean Testosterone and Prolactin levels also showed significantly lower values in malaria Infected and malaria uninfected symptomatic HIV participants on ART compared with malaria infected and malaria uninfected HIV seronegative control participants (p<0.05). The mean Cortisol levels were similar amongst the groups studied (p<0.05, in each case). Similarly, the malaria parasite density (MPD) was significantly higher in malaria infected compared with malaria uninfected symptomatic HIV participants on ART participants p<0.05). The implication of this finding is that HIV and malaria co-infection has an effect on some of these sex hormones on participants on ART.