Malaria In Women Research Articles

Malaria and child health.

Pregnancy increases the risk of malaria in women especially the primiparous during the 2nd trimester. The effects of malaria in pregnancy on women from nonmalarious areas and on women from areas of unstable malarious areas are much more severe than those on women of stable malarious areas. Physicians have reported transplacental infection with all 3 types of malaria but congenital malaria is rare in areas of stable malaria. Malnourished children are less likely to experience the more serious complications of falciparum malaria than well nourished children. In endemic areas only a small percentage of infants 0-3 months old have malaria but prevalence of infection rises rapidly to about 90% by 1 year of age with most of these infants experiencing severe clinical malaria. Those children at most risk of life threatening malaria are those between 6 months-3 years old. The most important factor in the development of life threatening cerebral malaria is a delay in diagnosis so if malaria is suspected treatment should begin before parasitological confirmation. If a child has hypoglycemia and malaria these effects combined with anorexia vomiting and treatment using hypoglycemic agents and quinine may cause death or irrevocable brain damage. Other symptoms of malaria that must be treated prudently include renal failure respiratory problems and hyperpyrexia. In endemic areas children with sickle cell anemia experience painful bone crises and intensified anemia stimulated by malaria. Quartan malaria causes death from renal pathology more frequently than falciparum malaria in endemic areas of Africa. Quartan malaria mediates in the etiology of Burkitts lymphoma the most common malignant disease in childhood in tropical Africa.