[01] Haider Mohammed Basheir, College of Medical Laboratory Science, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan. [02] Khalda Mirghani Hamza, College of Medical Laboratory Science, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan.

Malnutrition is one of health problems in developing countries in particular. Maternal and child health centers are often not available in many areas in Sudan. This study aimed to determine complete blood count of malnourished Sudanese children bellow 5 years of age (2011). 27 males and 23 females malnourished pediatric patients were enrolled in this study. Twenty apparently healthy with matched age subjects were selected as control group. An informed consent was obtained from participants parents before blood sample collection. Five ml venous blood was collected from each participant, 2.5 ml was collected in EDTA container for CBC determination, and 2.5 ml was collected in plain container for serum iron and serum ferritin measurement. Hematological analyzer Sysmex KX 21N was used for CBC measurement. A-25 Biosystem was used for determination of serum iron. SPSS software program was used for statistical analysis, significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. 58% of test group with age bellow 18 months and 42% above 18 months. Marasmus was observed in 82% of malnourished children. ALL hematological parameters of malnourished children was significantly different compared to control group. Hemoglobin decreased from 15.12 ±1.1 g/dl in control group to 8.8 ± 2.5 g/dl in test group. Blood platelet count and WBC of test group significantly increased compared to control (p < 0.00). WBC increased from 5.1 ± 0.98 × 10³ µl in control to 12.2 ±5.2 ×10³ in test group. Serum iron and serum ferritin of malnourished children significantly decreased compared to control group. Serum iron decreased from 99.3 ± 27.6 µg/ dl to 43.9 ± 32.9 µg/ dl in control and test groups respectively (p < 0.00). In conclusion, marasmus is the major type of malnutrition among study group. Malnutrition significantly alters hematological status of test group. Iron deficiency and infections are frequently associated with malnutrition.

Malnutrition, Marasmus, Hemoglobin, Iron, Ferritin

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