First-Trimester Malaria: Treatment and Outcomes

Symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria infections during the first trimester of pregnancy were associated with miscarriage; treatment appeared to be safe.

Malaria during pregnancy has adverse effects, including maternal mortality, miscarriage, and low birthweight. During early pregnancy, treatment options are limited, especially in regions with drug resistance. In a retrospective study covering a 25-year period (1986–2010), investigators compared outcomes between women with a single episode of malaria during the first trimester and women without malaria during pregnancy. The women came from a camp for displaced persons in a remote rural area near the Thai–Burmese border.

Among 17,613 pregnant women, 945 (5%) had a single episode of malaria during the first trimester. Risk for miscarriage was increased by 2.7-fold in women with asymptomatic malaria — and by nearly 4-fold in those with symptomat…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine