AI Article Synopsis

  • - The study analyzed 531 pregnant women in South Kivu, DRC, focusing on the link between malaria infection and iron levels in their blood.
  • - Results showed that malaria-infected women had significantly higher levels of serum ferritin (SF) and estimated body iron stores compared to non-infected women.
  • - The findings suggest that malaria infection is linked to increased iron levels, highlighting the need for combined efforts to prevent malaria and treat iron deficiency in pregnant women.

Article Abstract

We investigated the relationship between malaria infection and iron status in 531 pregnant women in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sociodemographic data, information on morbidity, and clinical data were collected. A blood sample was collected at the first antenatal visit to diagnose malaria and measure serum ferritin (SF), soluble transferrin receptor, C-reactive protein, and α1-acid-glycoprotein. Malaria prevalence was 7.5%. Median (interquartile range) SF (adjusted for inflammation) was significantly higher in malaria-infected (82.9 μg/L [56.3-130.4]) than in non-infected (39.8 μg/L [23.6-60.8]) women ( < 0.001). Similarly, estimated mean body iron store was higher in malaria-infected women ( < 0.001). Malaria was significantly and independently associated with high levels of SF. Efforts to improve malaria prevention while correcting iron deficiency and anemia during pregnancy are warranted.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5929203PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.17-0585DOI Listing

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