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. 2010 Jan;82(1):28-34.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0165.

The effect of malaria and intestinal helminth coinfection on birth outcomes in Kumasi, Ghana

Nelly J Yatich  1 , Pauline E Jolly, Ellen Funkhouser, Tsiri Agbenyega, Julian C Rayner, John E Ehiri, Archer Turpin, Jonathan K Stiles, William O Ellis, Yi Jiang, Jonathan H Williams
Affiliations

The effect of malaria and intestinal helminth coinfection on birth outcomes in Kumasi, Ghana

Nelly J Yatich et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2010 Jan.

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Plasmodium falciparum and intestinal helminth coinfection on maternal anemia and birth outcomes. A cross-sectional study of 746 women who delivered in two hospitals in Kumasi was conducted. Data were collected using an investigator-administered questionnaire and from patients' medical records. Blood was collected for determination of P. falciparum and hemoglobin levels. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were high (44.6%). Coinfection (versus no infection) was associated with 3-fold increase in low birth weight. For women with anemia, coinfection was 2.6 times and 3.5 times as likely to result in preterm deliveries and small for gestational age infants. The odds of having anemia was increased almost 3-fold by coinfection. Coinfection (versus helminth only) resulted in increased risks of anemia, low birth weight, and small for gestational age infants. This study demonstrates that women with malaria and intestinal helminth coinfection are at particular risk of adverse birth outcomes.

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