Efficacy of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine on placental parasitemia in pregnant women in midwestern Nigeria

<bold>Objective: </bold>To assess the effect of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine (IPT-SP) on placental parasitemia and maternal and perinatal outcome.<bold>Methods: </bold>We compared placental malaria parasitemia during pregnancy and pregnancy outcome in 2 groups of women receiving antenatal care at University of Benin Teaching Hospital. One group was prophylactically treated with IPT-SP and the other was not treated.<bold>Results: </bold>The parasitemia rates for peripheral, placental, and cord blood were 11.9%, 11.4%, and 2.7% in the IPT-SP group (n=370) and 19.1%, 22.6%, and 6.2% in the control group (n=371) (P=0.006, P=0.002, and P=0.02, respectively). The treatment reduced the odds of placental parasitemia by 37% (OR 0.63; 95% CI, 0.48-0.81). Peripheral (P=0.002) and placental (P=0.001) parasitemia were significantly reduced in the subgroup of women who took 2 or 3 doses of SP. Fewer women (16.2%) in the IPT-SP group than the control group (23.7%) had symptomatic malaria. Anemia at delivery was significantly lower in the IPT-SP group (10.8 vs 1.6%). The risks of abortion, preterm delivery, and low birth weight were also significantly lower in the IPT-SP group.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>IPT-SP is effective in preventing placental parasitemia, and reduces rates of malaria, maternal anemia, abortion, preterm delivery and low birth weight among pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]