A health facility-based assessment of the ancillary benefit for prevention of anaemia at term of intermittent preventive therapy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to evaluate the ancillary benefit of intermittent preventive therapy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in preventing maternal anaemia (MA) among parturient women differentially exposed to the regimen.

DESIGN

A health facility-based retrospective analytical cross-sectional study.

SETTINGS

The study was conducted at the Kade Government Hospital's maternity/labor suit.

PARTICIPANTS

Data from 2,545 parturient women were abstracted from birth registers.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Baseline characteristics were described, and stratified analyses assessed their impacts. Differences in mean mHgbc based on IPTp-SP exposure were determined using one-way ANOVA. An unpaired two-sample t-test evaluated the significance of inter-dose group differences. The bivariable analysis examined crude and adjusted risks of anaemia with differential IPTp-SP exposure.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The main outcome measure was the level of mHgbc with varying IPTp-SP exposure.

RESULTS

The overall mean exposure to IPTp-SP was 2.35 (±2.35) doses. Of the women, 5.9% had 'nil' exposure, with a mean mHgbc of 9.71 g/dL (±1.6). Among the 75.9% who received 1-3 doses, the mean mHgbc was 10.39 g/dL (±1.3). For the 18.2% who received ≥4 doses, the mean mHgbc was 10.77 g/dL (±1.4). The mHgbc notably rose as the mean doses of IPTp-SP increased. The crude odds ratios (COR) were 1.96 (95% CI: 0.99-3.89, p = 0.06) for 'nil' exposure, 1.28 (95% CI: 0.92-1.78, p = 0.16) for 1-3 doses, and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.41-0.84, p = 0.002) for ≥4 doses.

CONCLUSION

The consistent linear increase in mean mHgbc with higher IPTp-SP doses remains clinically crucial.

FUNDING

None declared.