Original Paper Med Princ Pract 2005;14:6–9 DOI: 10.1159/000081915 Effect of Self-Medication with Antimalarial Drugs on Malaria Infection in Pregnant Women in South-Western Nigeria O.M. Akanbi a,b A.B. Odaibo b K.A. Afolabi d O.G. Ademowo c a Department of Environmental Biology and Fisheries, Faculty of Science, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, b Department of Zoology, Parasitology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan, and c Institute of Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; d Ade-Oyo Maternity State Hospital, Yemetu, Ibadan, Nigeria Received: August 16, 2003 Revised: March 17, 2004 Dr. O.G. Ademowo Institute of Advanced Medical Research and Training College of Medicine, University of Ibadan Ibadan 02-2411768 (Nigeria) Tel. +234 8023 34 2856, Fax +234 2 241 1768, E-Mail ademowo_g@yahoo.com ABC Fax + 41 61 306 12 34 E-Mail karger@karger.ch www.karger.com © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel 1011–7571/05/0141–0006$22.00/0 Accessible online at: www.karger.com/mpp Key Words Pregnancy W Chloroquine W Pyrimethamine W Primigravidae W Multigravidae W Packed cell volume W Self-medication Abstract Objective: To determine the effect of self-medication with chloroquine and pyrimethamine on malaria infec- tion and anaemia during pregnancy. Subjects and Meth- ods: The study involved 210 women who attended Ade Oyo Maternity State Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Of these, 156 were pregnant women while 54 were not pregnant (controls). Of the pregnant women, 66 were primigravi- dae, while 90 were multigravidae. History of treatment of malaria with antimalarial drugs was obtained from the subjects. Gravidity and gestation period were also docu- mented. Two millilitres of blood was withdrawn from each subject, for haematological parameters. Thin and thick films were prepared for malaria parasite identifica- tion and quantification. Results: Of the primigravidae and multigravidae 68 and 16.4%, respectively, had taken antimalarial drugs prior to booking. Among primigravi- dae, only18% of those with drugs compared with 32% without drugs were malaria-positive. The parasite densi- ty was significantly lower among those who took anti- malarial drugs than among those who did not (976 B 60 versus 2,421 B 78, p ! 0.05). Similarly, among multigrav- idae, only 16.4% of those who took antimalarial drugs compared with 34% of those who were not malaria-posi- tive. The parasite density was also significantly lower in multigravidae with drugs than among those without drugs (350 B 45 versus 1,000 B 65, p ! 0.05). The preva- lence of anaemia (packed cell volume, PCV ! 33) was high, 89% in primigravidae and 70% in multigravidae. Severe anaemia (PCV ! 21) was more common in malar- ia-positive primigravidae and multigravidae than in ma- laria-negative women. Conclusion: The findings indicate that self-medication with chloroquine and pyrimeth- amine at booking was able to reduce the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in pregnancy. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel Introduction Despite continued efforts to control malaria, it re- mains a major health problem in many regions of the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa, causing severe dis- ease mainly in children and pregnant women [1]. Preg- nant women constitute an important high risk group for malaria infection [2], as malaria parasites increase risk of