A health facility-based assessment of the ancillary benefit for prevention of anaemia at term of intermittent preventive therapy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in pregnancy.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the ancillary benefit of intermittent preventive therapy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in preventing maternal anaemia (MA) among parturient women differentially exposed to the regimen.

Design: A health facility-based retrospective analytical cross-sectional study.

Settings: The study was conducted at the Kade Government Hospital's maternity/labor suit.

Participants: Data from 2,545 parturient women were abstracted from birth registers.

Statistical analysis: Baseline characteristics were described, and stratified analyses assessed their impacts. Differences in mean mHgbc based on IPTp-SP exposure were determined using one-way ANOVA. An unpaired two-sample t-test evaluated the significance of inter-dose group differences. The bivariable analysis examined crude and adjusted risks of anaemia with differential IPTp-SP exposure.

Main outcome measure: The main outcome measure was the level of mHgbc with varying IPTp-SP exposure.

Results: The overall mean exposure to IPTp-SP was 2.35 (±2.35) doses. Of the women, 5.9% had 'nil' exposure, with a mean mHgbc of 9.71 g/dL (±1.6). Among the 75.9% who received 1-3 doses, the mean mHgbc was 10.39 g/dL (±1.3). For the 18.2% who received ≥4 doses, the mean mHgbc was 10.77 g/dL (±1.4). The mHgbc notably rose as the mean doses of IPTp-SP increased. The crude odds ratios (COR) were 1.96 (95% CI: 0.99-3.89, p = 0.06) for 'nil' exposure, 1.28 (95% CI: 0.92-1.78, p = 0.16) for 1-3 doses, and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.41-0.84, p = 0.002) for ≥4 doses.

Conclusion: The consistent linear increase in mean mHgbc with higher IPTp-SP doses remains clinically crucial.

Funding: None declared.