Malaria and anemia in antenatal women in Blantyre, Malawi: a twelve-month survey.

Abstract

Abstract. Malaria and anemia are common in pregnant African women. We screened 4,764 Malawian women at first antenatal visits for malaria and anemia. A total of 42.7% had a malaria infection, which was more common and of higher density in primigravidae (prevalence ϭ 47.3%, geometric mean ϭ 332 parasites/l) and teenagers (49.8%, 390/1) than in multigravidae (40.4%, 214/l) or older women (40.6%, 227/l). However, 35% of gravida 3ϩ women were parasitemic. A total of 57.2% of the women was anemic (hemoglobin Ͻ 11 g/dl), with moderate anemia (7.0-8.9 g/dl) in 14.9% and severe anemia (Ͻ 7 g/dl) in 3.2%. Prevalences of malaria and anemia were highest in the rainy season. Women with moderate/severe anemia had higher parasite prevalences and densities than women with mild/no anemia. Logistic regression showed that age, season, and trimester of presentation were significantly associated with the prevalence of malaria, but gravidity was not. In this urban setting, age and season are more important than gravidity as predictors of malaria at first antenatal visit, and parasitemia is frequent in women of all gravidities.

Plasmodium falciparum infection in pregnant women attending antenatal care in Luanda, Angola

“…This agrees with some data published in the literature 18 ; however, other studies performed in Sub-Saharan Africa have reported a significant association between maternal age and malaria during pregnancy 17,32 . Women who attended antenatal care during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy exhibited higher prevalences of malaria infection.…”

“…This study sought to characterize the pattern of malariarelated morbidity during pregnancy at Augusto Ngangula Specialized General Hospital in Luanda, Angola, an urban area rated as having stable transmission by the Department of Endemics Control. The prevalence of malaria during pregnancy was 10.9% (95% CI 8.8%-13.5%), which agrees with the prevalence in African countries that are characterized as having intense transmission of malaria 8,17,21 . This study showed that there was no association between malaria and parity, as has also been reported by other studies performed in areas with intense transmission of malaria 31 .…”

“…This study showed that there was no association between malaria and parity, as has also been reported by other studies performed in areas with intense transmission of malaria 31 . In areas where transmission is high, the level of acquired immunity is significant, and primiparous women are the most affected 17,21 ; however, our study found a larger affected number among multiparous women. In this study, the ages of infected and non-infected women were not significantly different.…”

“…During the last decade, several studies were performed in African countries with high indices of transmission [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] ; however, few data were published for Angola, which is one of the five countries with the lowest available amounts of information regarding malaria during pregnancy, a fact that makes decisionmaking for prevention and control difficult 25 . The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of P. falciparum and its possible associated risk factors in pregnant women who attended antenatal care in Luanda.…”

Assessment of malaria in pregnancy using rapid diagnostic tests and its association with HIV infection and hematologic parameters in South-Eastern Nigeria

“…A number of reports have indicated a significant association between malaria during pregnancy and maternal age 7,8 while others did not. 9,10 The reason for these agerelated differences in malaria prevalence is probably © F e r r a t a S t o r t i F o u n d a t i o n related to host or environmental factors and requires further investigation.…”