DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjams.2025.v13i11.011

Pages: 1857-1863

Malaria in pregnancy can lead to complications for both mother and child. Pro-inflammatory cytokines like interferon gamma (IFN-ɤ), tumor necrosis factor-∝ (TNF-∝) and interleukin 18 (IL-18) are produced by macrophages that are stimulated in response to the Plasmodium falciparum infection. The study was done to estimate profiles of the above pro-inflammatory cytokine’s profiles in pregnant women with Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and Aluu Health Care Centre. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 115 volunteers who gave their consent- 60 infected women and 55 healthy uninfected women. The samples were analyzed using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for cytokines evaluation. Increased serum concentration of TNF-∝ and IL-18 were observed in infected women compared to their uninfected counterparts and the difference in the mean values between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conversely, IFN-ɤ and PCV levels were lower in pregnant women with malaria than those without malaria. The difference however was not statistically significant (P>0.05). IL-18 and TNF-∝ concentrations differed according to trimesters and the differences in the means values for the two cytokines were statistically significant (P<0.05). PCV and IFN-ɤ levels did not differ significantly from the 1st to the 3rd trimester. Increased concentrations of TNF-∝ and IFN-ɤ were observed in the multigravids when compared to primigravids and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The mean birth weight of neonates delivered by infected mothers was observed to be lower than that of uninfected mothers and the difference in the mean weights of the two groups was significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean birth weights of neonates born by mothers in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd parity groupings. A negative correlation was observed between IFN-ɤ, birth weight and PCV in malaria positive mothe