Artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria during pregnancy in eastern Sudan.
Malaria during pregnancy is associated with serious adverse effects; these could be avoided with effective treatment. Artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS+SP) is a promising antimalarial combination; however, few data are available on its safety during pregnancy. The present study was carried out in New Halfa Hospital, eastern Sudan, between September 2004 and March 2005. Thirty-two pregnant Sudanese women with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria were treated with AS+SP at a mean of 29.7 weeks of gestation. The patients were followed-up until delivery and the babies were followed-up until the age of 1 month. The drug was well tolerated, the parasitaemia was cleared and the patients were symptom-free within 2 days. All the patients delivered full-term live babies. One of the babies died on the fourth day; none of the women died and there was no miscarriage, stillbirth, or congenital abnormalities in the newborn babies. Thus, this small descriptive study failed to detect unintended effects of AS+SP during pregnancy.
Adam
Ishag
I
Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan. ishagadam@hotmail.com
Ali
Daw M
DM
Abdalla
Mohammed A
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077332:Artesunate; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013397:Sudan / Q000453:epidemiology; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; D004338:Drug Combinations; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C001205:fanasil, pyrimethamine drug combination; D000077332:Artesunate; D013413:Sulfadoxine; D011739:Pyrimethamine