Kassie Gizachew Ambaw, Azeze Gedion Asnake, Gebrekidan Amanuel Yosef, Lombebo Afework Alemu, Adella Getachew Asmare, Haile Kirubel Eshetu, Welda Getahun Dendir, Efa Amelework Gonfa, Asgedom Yordanos Sisay
School of Public Health, College of Health Science and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia.
School of midwifery, College of Health Science and Medicine, Hawassa University, Ethiopia.
Parasite Epidemiol Control. 2024 Jan 27;24:e00339. doi: 10.1016/j.parepi.2024.e00339. eCollection 2024 Feb.
Asymptomatic malaria during pregnancy is a significant public health concern in malaria-endemic regions, which worsens the various effects of malaria on the mother and fetus and increases maternal and neonatal mortality. To date, no meta-analysis has been conducted on asymptomatic malaria in pregnant women in Ethiopia. Thus, we aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of asymptomatic malaria and its associated factors in pregnant women in Ethiopia.
PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane, AJOL, and Ethiopian University repositories were systematically searched to identify studies reporting the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria infection among pregnant women in Ethiopia. A random effects model was used to perform the analysis. The heterogeneity of the studies was assessed with the I-squared tests, and subgroup analyses were performed to identify the sources of heterogeneity.
Ten articles with 3277 study participants were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of asymptomatic malaria infection among pregnant women in Ethiopia was 7.03% (95% CI: 6.23-9.12); I = 81.2%). In the species-specific pooled prevalence estimate, Plasmodium falciparum prevalence was 5.34% (95%CI: 3.38-7.3; I2 = 87.8%), and Plasmodium vivax prevalence was 1.69% (95%CI: 1.2-5; I2 = 91.5%).Not using insecticide-treated bed nets [OR = 7.36, 95% CI (2.75, 19.73)], being primi-gravida [OR = 1.86, 95% CI (1.23, 2.82)]; lack of health education about malaria prevention [OR = 6.86, 95% CI (2.90, 11.44)] were predictors of asymptomatic malaria infection during pregnancy.
This study revealed that asymptomatic malaria was prevalent among pregnant women in Ethiopia. This suggests that relying merely on reported symptoms may result in missed malaria cases. Therefore, regular screening and treatment protocols for malaria are recommended in antenatal care. It is also crucial to ensure that pregnant women have access to insecticide-treated bed nets and other effective malaria prevention measures.
孕期无症状疟疾是疟疾流行地区一个重大的公共卫生问题，它会加剧疟疾对母亲和胎儿的各种影响，并增加孕产妇和新生儿死亡率。迄今为止，尚未对埃塞俄比亚孕妇的无症状疟疾进行荟萃分析。因此，我们旨在估计埃塞俄比亚孕妇无症状疟疾的合并患病率及其相关因素。
系统检索了PubMed/Medline、谷歌学术、科学网、Cochrane、AJOL和埃塞俄比亚大学知识库，以确定报告埃塞俄比亚孕妇无症状疟疾感染患病率的研究。采用随机效应模型进行分析。用I²检验评估研究的异质性，并进行亚组分析以确定异质性来源。
本综述纳入了10篇文章，共有3277名研究参与者。埃塞俄比亚孕妇无症状疟疾感染的合并患病率为7.03%（95%置信区间：6.23 - 9.12）；I² = 81.2%）。在按物种的合并患病率估计中，恶性疟原虫患病率为5.34%（95%置信区间：3.38 - 7.3；I² = 87.8%），间日疟原虫患病率为1.69%（95%置信区间：1.2 - 5；I² = 91.5%）。未使用经杀虫剂处理的蚊帐[比值比 = 7.36，95%置信区间（2.75，19.73）]、初产妇[比值比 = 1.86，95%置信区间（1.23，2.82）]；缺乏疟疾预防健康教育[比值比 = 6.86，95%置信区间（2.90，11.44）]是孕期无症状疟疾感染的预测因素。
本研究表明埃塞俄比亚孕妇中无症状疟疾普遍存在。这表明仅依靠报告的症状可能会导致漏诊疟疾病例。因此，建议在产前护理中制定常规的疟疾筛查和治疗方案。确保孕妇能够使用经杀虫剂处理的蚊帐和其他有效的疟疾预防措施也至关重要。
