Antioxidant status and acute phase reactants in pregnant women infected with Plasmodium falciparum

INTRODUCTION: Malaria during pregnancy remains a public health issue. The most deadly plasmodium, Plasmodium falciparum, kills about 40% of the world's population, especially pregnant women and children under five. In pregnant women infected with Plasmodium falciparum, MDA, CAT, H2O2, SOD, and GPx were measured as oxidative stress markers and SAA and CRP as acute-phase proteins. METHODS: A total of 90 subjects were recruited for this study, which was subdivided into 30 pregnant women infected with malaria (PWM), 35 pregnant women not infected with malaria (PWN), and 25 healthy women without pregnancy (WWP) who served as the control groups. 5mls of venous blood was collected and dispensed into appropriate bottles for malaria parasite assessment using a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and MDA, CAT, H2O2, SOD, GPx, SAA, and CRP analysis using conventional laboratory techniques. Statistical analysis was done, and P values under 0.05 were significant. RESULTS: The PWM and PWN groups had significantly higher MDA and H2O2 values, but SOD, GPx, and CAT values were significantly lower (p