Effect of malaria in pregnancy on foetal cortical brain development: a longitudinal observational study

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Rijken Marcus J, de Wit Merel, Mulder Eduard JH, Kiricharoen Suporn, Karunkonkowit Noaeni, Paw Tamalar, Visser Gerard HA, McGready Rose, Nosten François H, Pistorius Lourens R
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2012
• Subjects: Malaria; Pregnancy; Ultrasonography; Prenatal; Brain; Foetus; Cerebral cortex; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-11-222; https://doaj.org/article/39618dcdfaf44e2482fffd6d89f1b8b0

Abstract Background Malaria in pregnancy has a negative impact on foetal growth, but it is not known whether this also affects the foetal nervous system. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of malaria on foetal cortex development by three-dimensional ultrasound. Methods Brain images were acquired using a portable ultrasound machine and a 3D ultrasound transducer. All recordings were analysed, blinded to clinical data, using the 4D view software package. The foetal supra-tentorial brain volume was determined and cortical development was qualitatively followed by scoring the appearance and development of six sulci. Multilevel analysis was used to study brain volume and cortical development in individual foetuses. Results Cortical grading was possible in 161 out of 223 (72%) serial foetal brain images in pregnant women living in a malaria endemic area. There was no difference between foetal cortical development or brain volumes at any time in pregnancy between women with immediately treated malaria infections and non-infected pregnancies. Conclusion The percentage of images that could be graded was similar to other neuro-sonographic studies. Maternal malaria does not have a gross effect on foetal brain development, at least in this population, which had access to early detection and effective treatment of malaria.