Haematological Characterization among Heavy Alcohol Consumers in Osogbo Metropolis

Alcohol abuse is fast becoming a public health concern among the Nigerian youths and adults strata of the society. A study on the effects of heavy alcohol consumption on haematological parameters was conducted on 130 subjects, comprising of 46 non-alcohol consumers who served as controls and 84 heavy alcohol consumers to determine the possible haematological attendant risks of the social behavior. Their ages ranged between 18-60 years. Sysmex KX-2IN instrument was used to determine the haematological parameters such as PCV, Haemoglobin, Red blood cell, Platelets, White blood cells total and differential counts of neutrophil and lymphocytes automatically. The result shows a significant difference (p<0.05) in the values obtained for alcohol drinkers which are high compared to that of the control group which could be dehydration based haemoconcentration. This study showed that abstinence from alcohol consumption had no effects on haematological parameters while its heavy consumption has deleterious effects such as severe infections to consequences of bone marrow malfunctioning. Hence clinical history of alcoholism during haematological investigations could be helpful and recommended.