Antenatal anthelmintic treatment, birthweight, and infant survival in rural Nepal - PubMed (original) (raw)
Antenatal anthelmintic treatment, birthweight, and infant survival in rural Nepal
Parul Christian et al. Lancet. 2004 Sep.
Abstract
Anthelmintic treatment, which is recommended during pregnancy in areas where there is a high rate of anaemia, needs further investigation. We examined prospectively the association between anthelmintic treatment and maternal anaemia, birthweight, and infant mortality in a study of prenatal supplements, in which women received albendazole twice during pregnancy. Women given albendazole in the second trimester of pregnancy had a lower rate of severe anaemia during the third trimester. Birthweight of infants of women who had received two doses of albendazole rose by 59 g (95% CI 19-98), and infant mortality at 6 months fell by 41% (RR 0.59; 95% CI 0.43-0.82). Antenatal anthelmintics could be effective in reducing maternal anaemia and improving birthweight and infant survival in hookworm-endemic regions.
Comment in
- Micronutrient supplementation in pregnancy.
Shrimpton R, Dalmiya N, Darnton-Hill I, Gross R. Shrimpton R, et al. Lancet. 2005 Dec 10;366(9502):2001-2; author reply 2002-3. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67808-7. Lancet. 2005. PMID: 16338443 No abstract available.
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