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Effect of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria on the outcome of pregnancy among women attending antenatal clinic of a Nigerian Teaching Hospital


OP Aduloju
IP Ade-Ojo
OD Olaogun
BA Olofinbiyi
AA Akintayo

Abstract

Background: Malaria is a public health problem globally especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa and among the under five children and pregnant women. Malaria in pregnancy is well known to be associated with a lot of maternal and fetal complications. Intermittent Preventive Treatment with Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine is the currently recommended regimen for prevention of malaria in pregnancy in the endemic areas.
Objective: The study was on the effect of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy on the prevalence of malaria in pregnancy and the outcome of pregnancy.
Method: It was a prospective descriptive cross-sectional study and a semi-structured questionnaire was administered to women in the lying in ward University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, who booked in the hospital, attended at least two antenatal clinic visits and delivered in the hospital.
Results: The study revealed that about 75% of the pregnant women studied had access to intermittent preventive treatment of malaria and also that among the women attending the antenatal clinic that received the IPT, about 78% of them took the recommended dose of the IPT. The prevalence of malaria was statistically higher in women who did not receive intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxinepyrimethamine during pregnancy (44.7% vs 31.3%, p=0.0001) and among women who had one dose of the drug instead of two doses (40.0% vs 28.7%, p= 0.0001). There was no statistical significant difference in the mean age in years (31.53±5.238 vs 31.07±4.751, p= 0.09 and the gestational age at delivery (38.76±1.784 vs 38.85±1.459, p= 0.122) between the women who did not receive IPT and those who had it. There was a statistical significant difference in the outcome of pregnancy among women who had IPT and those who did not viz a viz in the duration of labor (8.6±1.491 vs 8.7 ± 1.634, p= 0.011) and the birth weight of the babies (3.138 ±0.402 vs 3.263± 0.398, p=0.0001)
Conclusion: Intermittent preventive of malaria with Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine in pregnancy is effective as a prophylaxis against malaria and improves the outcome of pregnancy in malaria's endemic areas.

Keywords: Pregnancy, Malaria, Intermittent preventive treatment, sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine

Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 30 (1), April 2013

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eISSN: 0189-5117