Abstract
BackgroundMalaria is a public health problem in Uganda; affecting mainly women and children. Effective treatment has been hampered by over-diagnosis and over-treatment with anti-malarial drugs among patients presenting with fever. In order to understand the effect of drug pressure on sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) resistance in pregnancy, a sample of pregnant women presenting with fever in out–patient clinics was studied. The main objective was to assess prescription patterns and drug use in pregnancy especially SP; and draw implications on the efficacy of SP for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp).MethodsA total of 998 pregnant women with a history of fever were interviewed and blood samples taken for diagnosis of malaria and HIV infections. Data were captured on the drugs prescribed for the current febrile episode and previous use of drugs especially SP, anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) and cotrimoxazole.ResultsFew pregnant women, 128 (12.8%) were parasitaemic for P.falciparum; and of these, 72 (56.3%) received first-line treatment with Artemether-lumefantrine (Coartem®) 14 (10.9%) SP and 33 (25.8%) quinine. Of the parasite negative patients (non-malarial fevers), 186 (21.4%) received Coartem, 423 (48.6%) SP and 19 (2.1%) cotrimoxazole. Overall, malaria was appropriately treated in 35.5% of cases. Almost all febrile pregnant women, 91.1%, were sleeping under a mosquito net. The majority of them, 911 (91.3%), accepted to have an HIV test done and 92 (9.2%) were HIV positive. Of the HIV positive women, 23 (25.0%) were on ARVs, 10 (10.9%) on cotrimoxazole and 30 (32.6%) on SP. A significant proportion of women, 40 (43.5%), were on both SP and cotrimoxazole. Age and occupation were associated with diagnosis and treatment of malaria and HIV infections.ConclusionThere is inappropriate treatment of malaria and non-malarial fevers among pregnant women in these facilities. This is due to non-adherence to the guidelines. Over-prescription and use of anti-malarial drugs, especially SP may have implications on resistance against SP for malaria prevention in pregnancy. The policy implications of these findings are to evaluate SP efficacy as IPTp; and the need to enforce adherence to the current clinical treatment guidelines.
Highlights
Malaria is a public health problem in Uganda; affecting mainly women and children
In Uganda and elsewhere, effective treatment has been hampered by the continuing over diagnosis of malaria and over-treatment with anti-malarial drugs among patients presenting with a fever in rural areas where there is poor access to formal health facilities and self-treatment is the commonest form of care seeking [3,4]
This study aims to answer whether pregnant women with fever presenting at out-patient clinics get appropriate treatment, what drugs are prescribed and whether this is according to the guidelines
Summary
Effective treatment has been hampered by over-diagnosis and over-treatment with anti-malarial drugs among patients presenting with fever. In order to understand the effect of drug pressure on sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) resistance in pregnancy, a sample of pregnant women presenting with fever in out–patient clinics was studied. In Uganda and elsewhere, effective treatment has been hampered by the continuing over diagnosis of malaria and over-treatment with anti-malarial drugs among patients presenting with a fever in rural areas where there is poor access to formal health facilities and self-treatment is the commonest form of care seeking [3,4]. Malaria in pregnancy is a major public health problem in malaria endemic areas [5,6,7]. The policy recommends two doses of SP as intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp). In order to effectively implement this guideline, it requires continuous monitoring of SP efficacy as IPTp
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