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Efficacy of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine on placental parasitemia in pregnant women in midwestern Nigeria
Author(s) -
Aziken Michael E.,
Akubuo Kenneth K.,
Gharoro Etedafe P.
Publication year - 2011
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.2010.07.027
Subject(s) - parasitemia , medicine , sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine , malaria , pregnancy , obstetrics , low birth weight , sulfadoxine , anemia , birth weight , pyrimethamine , chloroquine , immunology , plasmodium falciparum , biology , genetics
Objective To assess the effect of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine (IPT‐SP) on placental parasitemia and maternal and perinatal outcome. Methods We compared placental malaria parasitemia during pregnancy and pregnancy outcome in 2 groups of women receiving antenatal care at University of Benin Teaching Hospital. One group was prophylactically treated with IPT‐SP and the other was not treated. Results The parasitemia rates for peripheral, placental, and cord blood were 11.9%, 11.4%, and 2.7% in the IPT‐SP group (n = 370) and 19.1%, 22.6%, and 6.2% in the control group (n = 371) ( P = 0.006, P = 0.002, and P = 0.02, respectively). The treatment reduced the odds of placental parasitemia by 37% (OR 0.63; 95% CI, 0.48–0.81). Peripheral ( P = 0.002) and placental ( P = 0.001) parasitemia were significantly reduced in the subgroup of women who took 2 or 3 doses of SP. Fewer women (16.2%) in the IPT‐SP group than the control group (23.7%) had symptomatic malaria. Anemia at delivery was significantly lower in the IPT‐SP group (10.8 vs 1.6%). The risks of abortion, preterm delivery, and low birth weight were also significantly lower in the IPT‐SP group. Conclusion IPT‐SP is effective in preventing placental parasitemia, and reduces rates of malaria, maternal anemia, abortion, preterm delivery and low birth weight among pregnant women.