Prevalence, patterns, and socio-demographic risk factors of Pf HRP2 antigen among pregnant and non-pregnant populations in an urban setting: a retrospective study in Ghana

Abstract Introduction Falciparum is the major contributor to malaria and causes the most lethal disease in humans globally. Although several government-funded interventions exist to help eliminate malaria, the disease persists and continues to afflict Ghanaians of all ages, including children, pregnant mothers, and adults. Methods This single-facility retrospective study was carried out at Sunyani Municipal Hospital. Patients’ malaria records spanning December 2020 and November 2021 were collected, analyzed, and visualized using IBM SPSS and GraphPad Prism. Proportions, associations, odds ratios, confidence intervals, and effect sizes were determined. Results Prevalence of malaria was 11.9%, with increased burden in males (14.5%), children 5-17 years (19.7%), pregnant women (17.2%), and in the rainy season (13.0%). Male sex (OR: 1.440, p <0.001), ages 5-17 years (OR: 2.538, p <0.001), <5 years (OR: 1.471, p <0.001), pregnancy (OR: 1.559, p =0.003), and rainy (OR: 1.251, p <0.001) were significant risk factors for falciparum malaria. Also, 78.2% ( p <0.001) of cases were from the OPD irrespective of season (rainy [79.2%, p <0.045]; dry [76.8%, p <0.001]). Malaria was high in males in rainy (15.3%, p <0.001) and dry seasons (13.6%, p <0.001). Rainy ( r =0.111) and dry seasons ( r =0.115) showed a weak positive association with malaria. Conclusion Pf HRP2 antigen positivity was associated with sex, age, patient type, and season, with increased prevalence in males, children 5-17 years, pregnancy, and the rainy season. Age showed a weak positive association with Pf HRP2 antigen positivity, whereas sex, patient type, and season showed negligible effects. Male sex, children 5-17 years, <5 years, pregnancy, and rainy season were risk factors for falciparum malaria. Malaria was associated with the source of laboratory request, with the bulk of the malaria cases reported among OPD patients, regardless of season. Rainy and dry seasons showed a weak positive association with malaria when stratified by age.