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

INTRODUCTION: Malaria during pregnancy remains a serious public health problem. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence and possible risk factors for malaria in pregnant women attending antenatal care at Augusto Ngangula Specialized General Hospital in Luanda, Angola. METHODS: Pregnant...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
Main Authors: Paulo Adão Campos, Bianor Valente, Rosa Bessa Campos, Luzia Gonçalves, Virgílio Estóliodo Rosário, Luís Varandas, Henrique Silveira
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2012
Subjects:
Malária
Gravidez
África
Prevalência
Transmissão estável
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Arctic
Augusto
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86822012000300017
https://doaj.org/article/f4fd7eaa2d5e4e059676c65bcbebb9d9
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Summary:INTRODUCTION: Malaria during pregnancy remains a serious public health problem. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence and possible risk factors for malaria in pregnant women attending antenatal care at Augusto Ngangula Specialized General Hospital in Luanda, Angola. METHODS: Pregnant women (679 total) who attended antenatal care from April to September 2008 were included in the study after signing informed consent. For each participant, the social-demographic profile and malaria and obstetric histories were investigated via a questionnaire. Diagnosis was made by optic microscopy, and hemoglobin concentration measured. The associations between age, parity, gestational age, residence, schooling, malaria during gravity, anemia and treatment with incidence of Plasmodium falciparum infection were analyzed through logistic regression. RESULTS: During the period of study, 74 (10.9%) out of 679 women were infected by P. falciparum. The average concentration of hemoglobin was 11.1 ± 0.07g/dL, and there were significant associations between the history of malaria during pregnancy, P. falciparum infection (p<0.01) and anemia at the time of observation (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Previous history of malaria during pregnancy represents a risk factor for current infection and anemia was an important complication associated with malaria, even in women who were treated with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine during pregnancy.

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