Adverse effects of synergic factors at play during intestinal parasitism in pregnancy

Abstract

Intestinal parasitism is a widely extended public health problem, causing significant morbidity and disabilities. It is well documented that pregnancy, with its increased nutritional demands and altered immune defenses, is an especially vulnerable time to contract intestinal parasitism. By affecting the health of both mothers and their progeny, those parasite infections are a double burden for pregnant women, who often experience more severe intestinal parasitism than their non-pregnant counterpart. It should be taken into account that in this health problem concur synergistically factors related to parasites, the physiological peculiarities of the pregnant women and the socioeconomic scenario in which they live. Despite the adverse effects of intestinal parasitism on pregnancy, fetuses, and newborns, its worldwide prevalence, and the associated risk factors, among pregnant women are little known. In spite of this, with the information available today, it is possible to sustain that the prevalence of intestinal parasitism among pregnant women is greater in by low and middle income countries. As we argue in the text of this document, intestinal parasite infections constitute an underestimated public health problem among pregnant women and their offspring and, accordingly, we opine that their diagnosis, treatment, and control require more attention.