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Maternal and perinatal outcomes of visceral leishmaniasis (kala‐azar) treated with sodium stibogluconate in eastern Sudan
Author(s) -
Adam Gamal K.,
Abdulla Mohamed A.,
Ahmed Ahmed A.,
Adam Ishag
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.08.002
Subject(s) - sodium stibogluconate , medicine , visceral leishmaniasis , pregnancy , obstetrics , leishmaniasis , malaria , gestation , encephalopathy , pediatrics , immunology , biology , genetics
Objective To investigate maternal and perinatal outcomes when pregnant women with visceral leishmaniasis (VL, also known as kala‐azar) are treated with the antimonial sodium stibogluconate. Method Forty‐two pregnant women with VL were treated with sodium stibogluconate at Gadarif Hospital, Gadarif, Sudan, and mother and child were followed up for 1 year. Results The treatment began at a mean ± SD of 24.4 ± 9.2 weeks of pregnancy. None of the patients had malaria or HIV. Two (4.7%) who received the treatment in the first trimester had miscarriages; 4 (4.9%) died from hepatic encephalopathy during the second week of treatment; and 2 (4.7%) had preterm deliveries. One of the newborns had a myelomeningocele and died at 2 hours, and the other died from VL at 2 months. Conclusion Preventive measures against VL should be employed in the region, and more research on VL and its treatment during pregnancy is needed.