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Published in: BMC Medicine 1/2021

01-12-2021 | Eclampsia | Research article

Falciparum but not vivax malaria increases the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in women followed prospectively from the first trimester

Authors: Whitney E. Harrington, Kerryn A. Moore, Aung Myat Min, Mary Ellen Gilder, Nay Win Tun, Moo Kho Paw, Jacher Wiladphaingern, Stephane Proux, Kesinee Chotivanich, Marcus J. Rijken, Nicholas J. White, François Nosten, Rose McGready

Published in: BMC Medicine | Issue 1/2021

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Abstract

Background

Malaria and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDoP) affect millions of pregnancies worldwide, particularly those of young, first-time mothers. Small case-control studies suggest a positive association between falciparum malaria and risk of pre-eclampsia but large prospective analyses are lacking.

Methods

We characterized the relationship between malaria in pregnancy and the development of HDoP in a large, prospectively followed cohort. Pregnant women living along the Thailand-Myanmar border, an area of low seasonal malaria transmission, were followed at antenatal clinics between 1986 and 2016. The relationships between falciparum and vivax malaria during pregnancy and the odds of gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, or eclampsia were examined using logistic regression amongst all women and then stratified by gravidity.

Results

There were 23,262 singleton pregnancies in women who presented during the first trimester and were followed fortnightly. Falciparum malaria was associated with gestational hypertension amongst multigravidae (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.59, 95%CI 1.59–4.23), whereas amongst primigravidae, it was associated with the combined outcome of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (AOR 2.61, 95%CI 1.01–6.79). In contrast, there was no association between vivax malaria and HDoP.

Conclusions

Falciparum but not vivax malaria during pregnancy is associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
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Metadata
Title
Falciparum but not vivax malaria increases the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in women followed prospectively from the first trimester
Authors
Whitney E. Harrington
Kerryn A. Moore
Aung Myat Min
Mary Ellen Gilder
Nay Win Tun
Moo Kho Paw
Jacher Wiladphaingern
Stephane Proux
Kesinee Chotivanich
Marcus J. Rijken
Nicholas J. White
François Nosten
Rose McGready
Publication date
01-12-2021
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medicine / Issue 1/2021
Electronic ISSN: 1741-7015
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-021-01960-3

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