Malaria in pregnancy: experience with intermittent preventive treatment in a University Teaching Hospital in southern Nigeria

Abstract

Malaria remains an important public health problem worldwide especially in the tropics and it is an important cause of morbidity in pregnancy. In Nigeria, it is a leading cause of outpatient clinic consultation and is among the three common causes of death in Nigeria. Malaria in pregnancy can be associated with serious complications for the mother or the developing foetus. The maternal complications include haemolytic anaemia, acute febrile attacks, cerebral malaria, renal failure and maternal mortality. It can also lead to early pregnancy losses, preterm delivery, low birth weight and intrauterine foetal death. The study design used was a retrospective study using a cohort of pregnant who received antenatal care at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. The hospital is referral center serving a population of about 3 million people in the Niger- Delta region of Nigeria. All booked women who had antenatal care at UBTH, delivered at UBTH and attended the 6th week post-natal clinic appointment in the Hospital from the 23rd November to the 11th December 2009 were recruited for this study. Data used in this study was collected from one hundred and five (105) women from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. The findings from the study reveal that it is feasible to use Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine as IPT for malaria chemoprophylaxis among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at UBTH. Pregnant women should have first contact in pregnancy with health care facilities at an early gestational age when IPT can be administered effectively to reduce the impact of malaria in pregnancy. This information is important for health workers providing care to pregnant women in malaria endemic regions and to reduce the adverse impact of malaria on foetal outcome.