Effect of Self-Medication with Antimalarial Drugs on Malaria Infection in Pregnant Women in South-Western Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effect of self-medication with chloroquine and pyrimethamine on malaria infection and anaemia during pregnancy. Subjects and Methods: The study involved 210 women who attended Ade Oyo Maternity State Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Of these, 156 were pregnant women while 54 were not pregnant (controls). Of the pregnant women, 66 were primigravidae, while 90 were multigravidae. History of treatment of malaria with antimalarial drugs was obtained from the subjects. Gravidity and gestation period were also documented. Two millilitres of blood was withdrawn from each subject, for haematological parameters. Thin and thick films were prepared for malaria parasite identification and quantification. Results: Of the primigravidae and multigravidae 68 and 16.4%, respectively, had taken antimalarial drugs prior to booking. Among primigravidae, only18% of those with drugs compared with 32% without drugs were malaria-positive. The parasite density was significantly lower among those who took antimalarial drugs than among those who did not (976 ± 60 versus 2,421 ± 78, p < 0.05). Similarly, among multigravidae, only 16.4% of those who took antimalarial drugs compared with 34% of those who were not malaria-positive. The parasite density was also significantly lower in multigravidae with drugs than among those without drugs (350 ± 45 versus 1,000 ± 65, p < 0.05). The prevalence of anaemia (packed cell volume, PCV <33) was high, 89% in primigravidae and 70% in multigravidae. Severe anaemia (PCV <21) was more common in malaria-positive primigravidae and multigravidae than in malaria-negative women. Conclusion: The findings indicate that self-medication with chloroquine and pyrimethamine at booking was able to reduce the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in pregnancy.

Pattern, awareness and perceptions of health hazards associated with self medication among adult residents of kano metropolis, northwestern Nigeria

“…(1213) The high prevalence observed in this study (85.0%) is within the 73.0 and 100.0% prevalence respectively reported by Akanbi and colleagues;(8) and Ifedili and Ifedili(14) from the southern part of Nigeria. Similar prevalence was observed in several other African countries.…”

“…The questions were phrased based on reports of previous surveys from southern Nigeria(811–14) to elicit socio-demographic characteristics of respondents, the pattern of self medication within a recall period of six months preceding the survey (prevalence and types); and the awareness and perceptions of health hazards of self medication in Kano. The questionnaire was pretested on 50 individuals from a different L.G.A other than the study L.G.A; and based on the experience from the pretest the questions on the type of drugs commonly used without the prescription of a physician and the respondents’ reasons for the self medication were changed to multiple response type.…”

“…Studies from the southern part of the country show that as many as 60-90% of the population in some communities partake in one way or the other in self medication. (78) However, despite the assertion that Kano is one of the cities in Nigeria with the highest prevalence of drug abuse, there is paucity of documented data to back the assertion. We therefore set out on this study to determine the pattern, awareness and perceptions of the adult residents of Kano metropolis about self medication.…”

Determinants of self medication practices among pregnant women in Ibadan, Nigeria

“…Self medication is generally pervasive and is even promoted for initial treatment of some endemic diseases at community levels in sub-Saharan Africa where geographic and economic access to orthodox health care services is poor [3][4][5]. Self-medication therefore becomes critical for reducing morbidity and mortality from plethora of diseases which are endemic in these areas [6]. However, self-medication is beneficial only when consumers are guided by adequate information from trained health professionals or by printed pictorial materials that are provided during medicine purchase [2,7].…”

Effects of Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapies on Lipids and Hepatorenal Circulating Indices in Guinea Pigs

“…Expectedly, these agents are used widely and frequently in endemic areas of the disease, including Nigeria. But sadly, there is a serious concern of their misuse as ACTs and other antimalarial drugs are readily purchased over-thecounter in most parts of these regions and selfmedication is a common practice (Akanbi et al, 2005). Also, wrong diagnosis of other fever related conditions for malaria (in both clinical and nonclinical settings) is not uncommon and patients are therefore treated repeatedly with antimalarial agents in these areas.…”