Effects of Falciparum malaria on the indices of anaemia among pregnant women in the Niger Delta of Nigeria

O. Erhabor¹*,  T. C. Adias² and M. L. Hart²

¹Department of Medical Laboratory  Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

²Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: n_osaro@yahoo.com.

Accepted 30 December, 2009

   Abstract

Malaria infection during pregnancy is a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This study evaluated the effect of malaria on the indices of anaemia of 50 plasmodium parasitized pregnant subjects. Fifty non- malaria parasitized pregnant and fifty non- pregnant and non- parasitized subjects served as control. The mean haematological values was significantly lower among parasitized pregnant women compared to non –parasitized pregnant and non pregnant subjects (p = 0.001). The incidence of anaemia among parasitized and non parasitized pregnant subjects was (66 and 48%). A positive correlation was observed between the level of parasitaemia and anaemia (r = 0.67, p = 0.04). Microcytic and hypochromic anaemia was significantly higher in pregnant and parasitized subjects (p = 0.001). Burden of malaria infection and anaemia was higher in primgravidae compared with multigravidae subjects. Preventative strategies including regular chemoprophylaxis, intermittent preventative treatment with antimalarials, provision of iron supplementation and insecticide-treated bed nets should be implemented.

 Key words: Plasmodium parasitaemia, anaemia, pregnancy, Niger Delta, Nigeria.