Folic acid treatment of Zambian children with moderate to severe malaria anemia.
Whether administration of folic acid to children with malaria anemia is helpful is controversial. Therefore, we conducted a randomised, placebo-controlled trial of 14 days of treatment with folic acid (1 mg/d) in Zambian children with malaria anemia treated with either sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) or atovaquone/proguanil (AP). Among children who received SP, the prevalence of parasitemia was higher in children treated with folic acid than among those given placebo at days 3, 7, and 14 after the start of treatment, and the difference at day 3 was statistically significant (P = 0.013). Folic acid treatment had no effect on parasitemia in children treated with AP. Administration of folic acid led to a small increase in packed cell volume over that seen in the placebo group at days 14 and 28 after the start of treatment.
Mulenga
Modest
M
Macha Malaria Research Institute, Macha, Zambia.
Malunga
Phidelis
P
Bennett
Steve
S
Thuma
Philip
P
Shulman
Caroline
C
Fielding
Katherine
K
Greenwood
Brian
B
D000740:Anemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053626:Atovaquone; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006397:Hematinics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology; D009285:Naphthoquinones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology; D011156:Population Density; D002727:Proguanil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017211:Treatment Failure; D015024:Zambia
D000962:Antimalarials; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006397:Hematinics; D009285:Naphthoquinones; C001205:fanasil, pyrimethamine drug combination; D013413:Sulfadoxine; D005492:Folic Acid; D002727:Proguanil; D053626:Atovaquone; D011739:Pyrimethamine