PREGNANCY DAYS For most pregnant women, carrying a baby to term is largely a mysterious process. This section helps new parents answer some of the most important questions about pregnancy and childbirth.

MALARIA in Pregnancy

• What is the effect of malaria in pregnancy and the fetus?
• What are the complications that I may have?
• Malaria in my baby
• Is it treatable?

MALARIA is highly prevalent in India and the incidence with severity increases in pregnancy.

Effects of malaria on pregnancy and fetus

Malaria alters the course of pregnancy and has severe impact on pregnancy too.
Malaria can cause -

• Abortion
• Intrauterine death
• Preterm labor
• Intrauterine growth retardation
• Low birth weight
• Maternal morbidity and mortality

WHAT ARE THE COMPLICATIONS I MAY HAVE IN MALARIA?

1. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

Blood glucose less than 40mg/dl.is termed as hypoglycemia.
Abnormal behavior or sudden loss of consciousness are the usual manifestations and may be mistaken for cerebral malaria or eclampsia.

2. Anemia

Already because of increased blood volume, a pregnant woman is relatively anemic. Malaria can aggravate all this and cause complications.

3. Acute pulmonary edema

You may have symptoms of extreme respiratory distress and in the severe most case present with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

4. Folate deficiency

This is because of the need for the body to produce more blood cells. Folate deficiency along with anemia can end in fetal death. Folate supplementation is very important in malaria.

5. Acute renal failure

6. Spontaneous bleeding which can be internal or external

CONGENITAL AND NEONATAL MALARIA

ALL THE 4 SPECIES OF MALARIA PARASITE CAN CROSS THE PLACENTA TO CAUSE CONGENITAL MALARIA IN NEWBORNS.

The diagnosis of congenital malaria is a little difficult because the symptoms mimic a wide range of other diseases in newborns like TORCH group of infections.

The usual symptoms are fever, irritability, refusal to feed, enlargement of liver and spleen and Jaundice. One should have a high index of suspicion in these cases especially if there has been some history in the pregnancy.

Can the baby be treated?

Yes, it is a totally treatable condition and should be diagnosed early to avoid mergence of symptoms.

One should actively and aggressively treat malaria because it is MORE COMMON, MORE ATYPICAL, MORE SEVERE AND MORE FATAL IN PREGNANCY.