Pregnant women with malaria: Signs, complications and treatment

Pregnant women with malaria can lead to dangerous complications, affecting both mothers and babies. However, prevention and treatment will help dispel anxiety.

Pregnancy is a difficult period. It comes with health problems, but you have to be limited in your use of drugs for treatment like before. Whether having a fever or a cold, many pregnant women will choose home improvement remedies for fear of the adverse effects of the drug on the baby.

But what if you experience some serious medical conditions such as malaria during pregnancy? Is there a risk that can happen to pregnant mother and fetus in the absence of timely detection and treatment? The following article, aFamilyToday Health will help you answer these questions to know the necessary information about pregnant women with malaria.

Signs pregnant woman has malaria

In the early stages, symptoms of malaria sometimes manifest similarly to flu or viral infections. Only a blood test can help the doctor accurately identify the infection. Common signs of malaria during pregnancy include:

Muscle pain

Jaundice

Uncomfortable

Nausea

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Dizziness

Pale skin

Enlarged spleen

Upper respiratory tract infection

High fever and sweating or feeling chills.

It is important to recognize and treat malaria early during pregnancy as it can cause other health complications for both mother and baby.

Complications when pregnant women have malaria

Malaria is classified as an uncomplicated and severe infection. Uncomplicated malaria infection is associated with conditions such as headache, fever, tremors and sweating for 2-3 days and lasts for 6-10 hours at a time.

Severe malaria is a life-threatening infection that can lead to anemia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, brain malaria and damage to the internal organs. Here are some of the dangerous complications that pregnant mothers are at risk of:

Anemia: Once plasmodium falciparum enters the bloodstream, it leads to hemolysis, increasing the need for blood transfusions. This will cause anemia or even postpartum hemorrhage, which is fatal in the mother and newborn.

Acute pulmonary edema: This is a serious form of anemia that can occur during the second or third trimester. This infection cannot be ignored because it will cause the lungs to be penetrated by fluid, causing fluid to accumulate in the lungs.

Immunosuppression: Hormonal changes during pregnancy affect the immune system of pregnant women. Your body will continuously secrete an immunosuppressive hormone called cortisol, which weakens its ability to fight off bacteria or germs.

Hypoglycemia: This condition usually has no symptoms. Therefore, pregnant women with malaria need to be continuously monitored for hypoglycemia.

Kidney failure: This is one of the complications accompanying pregnant women with malaria. During the illness, if parasites and dehydration are not detected, it will lead to kidney dysfunction.

Severe malaria not only affects the mother but also affects the baby in the womb.

Complications in infants

Here are some of the complications that an unborn baby may experience if the mother has malaria during pregnancy:

IUGR : The placenta provides a platform for the malaria parasite to attach, blocking the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. This can lead to low birth weight and delayed growth in the uterus. Infants weighing less than 2.5 kg generally have a lower chance of survival than babies with a higher weight.

Vertical transmission: Another obvious risk when a pregnant woman gets malaria is a mother-to-baby infection. If a pregnant woman gets timely medical attention and takes medication as prescribed by her doctor, the fetus may not be affected. However, doctors recommend performing newborn blood screening after birth to stop any complications of infection.

Miscarriage: Researchers have found that half of all pregnant women with malaria have symptoms of a miscarriage and one third of women are at risk if the malaria is asymptomatic. However, medicinal measures can help pregnant mothers significantly reduce the above risks.

Malaria during pregnancy has potential risks to the life of both mother and baby. Therefore, pregnant women diagnosed with malaria must receive immediate treatment to limit their risk.

Diagnosis of pregnant women with malaria

Pregnancy malaria is difficult to recognize and diagnose because pregnant women often show no symptoms. To deal with this problem, doctors collect blood samples from the placenta through the following tests:

Blood smear test: A drop of blood is taken and spread out on a microscope slide to check for parasites

Rapid diagnostic test: This is a form of detection of malaria antigens in the patient's blood

Polymerase chain reaction: PCR is a tool used to diagnose malaria molecules.

Histological examination: This method provides more accurate results than other methods of detecting malaria during pregnancy. Histology involves examining tissue samples under a microscope.

Some medicines that are safe for pregnancy will be prescribed by your doctor for use to fight off malaria.

Treatment for pregnant women with malaria

Malaria during pregnancy requires special attention. Treatments include using medicines that are safe for pregnant women, depending on your situation. In addition, paracetamol can also be used to fight back a high fever. The drug will work in 4-6 hours with a number of uses about 3-4 times / day.

During treatment, pregnant mothers need to pay attention to drink enough water so as not to become dehydrated. You should also eat light snacks to feel better.

Prevent malaria during pregnancy

Malaria is caused by mosquitoes, and this makes it easy to prevent, through the following ways:

Install mosquito nets on windows

Use products to prevent mosquito bites such as creams or sprays

In general, mosquitoes are easily attracted to dark colors. Therefore, wear bright colors to keep them away

Pregnant mothers should clean the living area so that it is cool, change the water of the vase, bonsai every day or turn on the air conditioner regularly because mosquitoes cannot breed in cold temperatures.

Diet for pregnant women with malaria

There is no specific diet for malaria patients. Therefore, if you want to improve your health quickly, you should build a healthy menu, as well as choose foods that focus on strengthening the immune system without affecting the liver, kidneys and system. Digest.

Foods to eat

Pregnant mothers can choose from the following items and add them to the daily menu, such as:

Fresh fruit juices, filtered water, mineral water

Protein foods like lean meats, fish, yogurt, and cow's milk

Fruit dishes such as oranges, tangerines, apples, grapes, papaya ... are very good for pregnant women with malaria because they are plentiful of useful vitamins.

Food should not be eaten

The foods that pregnant mothers should limit when having malaria include:

Fiber-rich foods like whole grains

Leafy vegetables are dark green

Canned food

Hot and spicy dishes

Drinks such as tea, coffee, and cocoa should also be avoided absolutely.

A pregnant woman's immune system can be quite weak, increasing the risk of infectious diseases. If you find yourself showing symptoms of malaria, go to the hospital for prompt diagnosis and treatment.