Determinants of Urogenital Schistosomiasis Among Pregnant Women and its Association With Pregnancy Outcomes, Neonatal Deaths, and Child Growth
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Schistosoma haematobium is a parasitic helminth that causes urogenital pathology. The impact of urogenital schistosomiasis during pregnancy on birth outcomes and child growth is poorly understood. METHODS: Risk factors for urogenital schistosomiasis were characterized among 4437 pregnant women enrolled in a cluster-randomized community-based trial in rural Zimbabwe. Infection was defined via urine microscopy (≥1 S. haematobium egg) and urinalysis (hematuria). Associations between infection and pregnancy outcomes were assessed in case-control analyses using conditional logistic regression. The association of maternal infection with birthweight and length-for-age Z scores (LAZ) at 1 and 18 months of age were assessed using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Urogenital schistosomiasis (egg positive and/or hematuria positive) was detected in 26.8% of pregnant women. Risk factors significantly associated with infection were maternal age, education, marital status, and religion; household drinking water source and latrine; study region; and season. Urogenital schistosomiasis was not significantly associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm, and small-for-gestational age), birthweight, neonatal death, or LAZ. CONCLUSIONS: Including pregnant women in antihelminthic treatment programs would benefit a large number of women in rural Zimbabwe. However, clearance of the low-intensity infections that predominate in this context is unlikely to have additive benefits for pregnancy outcomes or child growth. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01824940.
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,741
Funders: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, Johns Hopkins University, Wellcome Trust, Department for International Development, UK Government, Royal Society, University of Glasgow, Department for International Development, National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Direktion für Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G1391289704, The impact of cotrimoxazole on healthy birth and growth in rural Zimbabwe., G2875666327, G339059223, G3780286148, G4161619932, G4502562607, Effect of a sanitation & nutrition intervention on HIV-exposed infant health, The impact of cotrimoxazole on healthy birth and growth in rural Zimbabwe., G6868616705, G7640316937, The relationship between innate immune cell function and bacterial infections in severe acute malnutrition, G8716785387, G9000344716
OpenAlex ID: W2995434064