Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar;148(3):338-343.
doi: 10.1002/ijgo.13085. Epub 2020 Jan 17.

The efficacy of intermittent preventive therapy in the eradication of peripheral and placental parasitemia in a malaria-endemic environment, as seen in a tertiary hospital in Abuja, Nigeria

Maureen U Umemmuo  1 , Chris O Agboghoroma  1 , Kenneth C Iregbu  2
Affiliations

The efficacy of intermittent preventive therapy in the eradication of peripheral and placental parasitemia in a malaria-endemic environment, as seen in a tertiary hospital in Abuja, Nigeria

Maureen U Umemmuo et al. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether intermittent preventive therapy in pregnancy (IPTp) eradicates peripheral and placental malaria and improves birth weight.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 426 pregnant mothers on IPTp with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine against malaria who presented in labor, at National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria between January and June 2017. The hospital is within the malaria-endemic zone of West Africa. Consenting pregnant women with uncomplicated singleton term pregnancy who had antenatal care in the hospital and lived in the study area for at least 6 months were consecutively recruited. Peripheral and placental blood were collected and examined for malaria parasite by microscopy. Babies were weighed at birth.

Results: The prevalence of peripheral malaria parasitemia and placental parasitization were 12.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.0-16.6) and 9.4% (95% CI 7.0-12.7), respectively. Parasite density in both peripheral parasitemia and placental parasitization was low among the women that took IPTp, decreasing with increasing doses, with no parasitemia or parasitization in women that took up to three doses. Birth weight was lower in babies of mothers with plasmodium infestation than in those without infestation (P<0.001, P=0.024).

Conclusion: IPTp reduces both peripheral parasitemia and placental parasitization, with the capacity to eliminate or prevent them. IPTp also reduces low birth weight.

Keywords: Intermittent preventive therapy; Low birth weight; Malaria; Malaria-endemic environment; Peripheral parasitemia; Placental parasitisation; Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. WHO. Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) Last update: 21 June 2018. https​://www.who.int/malar​ia/areas/​preve​ntive_thera​pies/pregn​ancy/en/Accessed December 8, 2018.
    1. Desai M, Gutman J, L'lanziva A, et al. Intermittent screening and treatment or intermittent preventive treatment with Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine versus intermittent preventive treatment with Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine for the control of malaria during pregnancy in western Kenya: An open-label, three-group, randomized controlled superiority trial. Lancet. 2015;386:2507-2519.
    1. Dimasuay KG, Aitken HE, Rosario F, et al. Inhibition of placental mTOR signaling provides a link between placental malaria and reduced birthweight. BMC Med. 2017;15:1.
    1. WHO. 10 facts on malaria. Updated December 2016. https​://www.who.int/featu​res/factf​iles/malar​ia/en/. Accessed April 21, 2019.
    1. Offianan AT, Penali LK, Coulibaly MA, et al. Comparative efficacy of uncontrolled and controlled intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp) with combined use of LLTNs in high resistance area to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in Côte d'Ivoire. Infect Drug Resist. 2012;5:53-63.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources