Latin American Pregnant Women Research Articles

Exposure of pregnant women to indoor air pollution: a study from nine low and middle income countries

We studied exposure to solid fuel and second-hand tobacco smoke among pregnant women in south Asia, Africa and Latin America. Prospective cross-sectional survey. Antenatal clinics in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Uruguay, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, India and Pakistan. A total of 7,961 pregnant women in ten sites in nine countries were interviewed between October 2004 and September 2005. A standardized questionnaire on exposure to indoor air pollution (IAP) and second-hand smoke was administered to pregnant women during antenatal care. Exposure to IAP and second-hand tobacco smoke. South Asian pregnant women commonly reported use of wood (49.1-89.7%), crop residue and animal dung as cooking and heating fuel. African pregnant women reported higher use of charcoal (85.4-93.5%). Latin American pregnant women had greater use of petroleum gas. Among south Asian women, solid fuel use and cooking on an open flame inside the home were common. There was a significant association between solid fuel use and allowing smoking within the home at the Asian sites and in Zambia (p < 0.05). Pregnant women from low/middle income countries were commonly exposed to IAP secondary to use of solid fuels. Among these populations, exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke was also common. This combination of exposures likely increases the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes among the most vulnerable women. Our study highlights the importance of further research on the combined impact of IAP and second-hand tobacco smoke exposures on adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Prevalencia de tripanomiasis americana en mujeres gestantes de un área de salud: Valencia, 2005-2007

The Chagas disease, an endemic illness in Latin America, is an emerging pathology due mainly to the increment of human migration. Prevalence increase, difficult diagnosis and therapeutic management turn Chagas into an important public health problem. Our objectives are first to analyse the seroprevalence and epidemiologic profile of Latin American pregnant women who were taken charge of in the area of Hospital Clinical University of Valencia (HCUV), and second, to determine the risk of vertical transmission from infected women to their children. 400 Latin American pregnant women were analysed. They were assisted in HCUV from February 2005 to July 2007. The screening technique used was Immunoprecipitation ID-PaGIA_DiaMed, confirmed through Indirect Immunofluorescence (Immunofluor Chagas-Inverness Medical). For newborns whose mothers were seropositive, a microhematocrit and PCR was performed at birth, later IgG detection was performed at 6 and 12 months. 9.3% of pregnant women developed specific antibodies to the parasite. Trypanosomiasis illness in antecedents, living in rural areas and gastrointestinal symptomatology were the most outstanding risk markers among the epidemiological, sociodemographic and clinical variables analysed, especially when women were Bolivians. There was a case of seroconversion in an 8 months child with an incidence of 0.25%. The high proportion of pregnant Latin American women with latent Chagas disease, the epidemiological history and the risk of vertical transmission made advisable to include the detection of parasite antibodies in the health screenings of this group.

Prevalence and Vertical Transmission ofTrypanosoma cruziInfection among Pregnant Latin American Women Attending 2 Maternity Clinics in Barcelona, Spain

We performed a prospective screening for Trypanosoma cruzi infection in 1350 Latin American pregnant women and their offspring in Barcelona, Spain. The rate of seroprevalence was 3.4%, and 7.3% of the newborns were infected. Routine screening and management programs in maternity wards may be warranted.

Globalización e identidades médicas en los ensayos clínicos

This article studies how the between clinical researchers and patients incorporated into protocol becomes apparent, i.e. doctor's perceptions of the relation doctor-patient as a relation researcher-object of trial, for it, two well-known cases are being analyzed. The first case refers to trials seeking to reduce the perinatal transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in developing countries. These trials have established a double standard in treatment for African and Latin American pregnant women, recognizing them as different. An ethnic limit has been defined to use them as a control group. The second case refers to analysis of commercial clinical trials, carried out at the Hospital Municipal Infantil de Cordoba, which were ideologically supported by the neoliberal identities and values promoted by globalization, thus breaking away from identities generated historically.