Work

PA-313 Folic acid, vitamin B12 and homocysteine profiles in young non-pregnant and pregnant women living in a malaria endemic area: a secondary analysis of trial data

Year: 2023

Type: conference-abstract

Abstract: Background The safety of iron and folate supplementation in young women living in malarious areas, before and during their first pregnancy, is uncertain as both nutrients can alter malaria risk. Methods Folate biomarkers were assayed by ELISA in sera of 541 never pregnant women (mostly adolescent) enrolled in a periconceptional controlled trial of weekly iron/folic acid supplementation in rural Burkina Faso (Funded by AREF-EDCTP). Of these 315 become pregnant during the trial, with 226 remaining non-pregnant. Results For paired samples mean homocysteine and folic acid concentrations increased between both baseline and early pregnancy (p<0.0001), and baseline and late pregnancy (p<0.0001), although B12 concentration only increased by late pregnancy. In those remaining non-pregnant with paired samples (n=133), homocysteine and folic acid decreased between baseline and end of study (respectively 59.0±24.0 versus 56.5±25.8, (p=0.001; and 39.9±8.3 vs 33.7±7.00 nmol/L, p=0.0001, [(t test]). Vitamin B12 concentrations did not change between enrolment and end assessment (189.32±32.83 vs 189.45±32.95 pmol/L, p=0.97, [t test]). Malaria parasitaemia prevalence was 54.0% in pregnant women in early pregnancy and 41.8% in women remaining non-pregnant women at end assessment. In pregnant women mean B12 concentration was lower in those with parasitaemia (170.9± 25.4 vs 181.1± 25.8 pmol/L, p<0.01). In non-pregnant women these values were 34.0 ±6.4 vs 33.2±7.0 nmol/L (p=0.56) for folic acid; 193.5±31.8 vs 189.9±30.9 pmol/L (p= 0.57) for B12, and 53.6±24.4 vs 58.1±28.0 µmol/L, p=0.40, [t tests]) for homocysteine. In pregnant or non-pregnant women folic acid and homocysteine concentrations did not differ by malaria status. Conclusion In conclusion, concentrations of folate biomarkers increase from early in pregnancy, with a negative association of malaria parasitaemia with vitamin B12 concentration. In non-pregnant women folic acid and homocysteine decrease at end of study with no association of malaria.

Source: BMJ Global Health

DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-edc.158