title: Outcomes of asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia in neonates in a tertiary hospital, southeast Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malaria infestation during pregnancy is mostly asymptomatic and untreated especially in unbooked pregnancies. It presents with almost all the fetal complications of overt malaria in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia on the neonates of unbooked parturients delivered at term at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted in the labour ward complex of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki from March to May 2012. Unbooked pregnant women who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and gave consent were consecutively recruited. Cord blood and placenta tissue were collected for haemoglobin concentration determination and histology, respectively. Birth weights were determined with an electronic weighing machine. Statistical Analysis was done with 2008 Epi Info™ software and level of significant was set at P-value <0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 250 unbooked parturients were recruited, of which 194 (77.6%) had asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia while 227 (90.8%) had placental parasitisation. The prevalence of low birth weight in the study was 16.4%. There was significant relationship between asymptomatic malaria parasitemia and birth weight (X(2) = 43.70, P-value < 0.001). There were no low-birth-weight deliveries among paturients without placental parasitemia. No neonate, however, had anaemia in the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asymptomatic malaria parasitemia and placental parasitisation by malaria parasites contribute to the outcome of the foetal birth weight. Asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia and placental parasitaemia did not result in a corresponding foetal anaemia on babies delivered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal Teaching Hospital,Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Matthew Igwe
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Nwali
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal Teaching Hospital,Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Odidika Ugochukwu Joannes
authors.initials: OU
authors.lastname: Umeora
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Benjamin Chukwuma
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Ozumba
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal Teaching Hospital,Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Robinson Chukwudi
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Onoh
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal Teaching Hospital,Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Uzoma Maryrose
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Agwu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal Teaching Hospital,Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agboeze
keywords: Asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia; Nigeria; labour; neonatal outcome; pregnant women