Controlled Trial of Pyrimethamine in Pregnant Women in an African Village

Abstract

In an African village where malaria is holo-endemic, 429 pregnant women were divided into two groups. Those in the first group received 50 mg. of pyrimethamine monthly, and those in the second group similar tablets containing only lactose. All women were given a single dose of 600 mg. of chloroquine if they reported to the dispensary with fever. The women in the treated group gained 852 g. (1 lb. 14 oz.) more than the women in the control group during pregnancy. • … Infants born to women in the treated groups had a birth weight 157 g. (5i oz.) greater than that of those in the control group. • Suppression of malaria had no apparent effect on the weight of the placenta. © 1964, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.