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Table 2 Associations between malaria infection status during pregnancy and measures of placental malaria

From: Relationships between infection with Plasmodium falciparum during pregnancy, measures of placental malaria, and adverse birth outcomes

Risk factor

Category

Risk

Univariate

Multivariate

RR (95% CI)

p value

aRR (95% CI)

p value

Placental blood positive for malaria parasites by microscopya (n = 8)

 Malaria burden in pregnancy

None

0/52 (0%)

Reference group

Reference group

Low

1/156 (0.6%)

High

7/72 (9.7%)

20.2 (2.52–162.2)

0.005

14.2 (1.80–111.6)

0.01

 Gravidity

Multigravida

1/182 (0.6%)

Reference group

Reference group

Primigravida

7/98 (7.1%)

13.0 (1.62–104.5)

0.02

9.22 (1.16–73.4)

0.04

 IPTp drug

DP

3/184 (1.6%)

Reference group

Reference group

SP

5/96 (5.2%)

3.19 (0.78–13.1)

0.11

1.16 (0.32–4.15)

0.82

Placental blood positive for malaria parasites by LAMPa (n = 24)

 Malaria burden in pregnancy

None

1/52 (1.9%)

Reference group

Reference group

Low

5/156 (3.2%)

High

18/72 (25.0%)

8.67 (3.57–21.0)

< 0.001

4.06 (1.73–9.51)

0.001

 Gravidity

Multigravida

8/182 (4.4%)

Reference group

Reference group

Primigravida

16/98 (16.3%)

3.71 (1.65–8.38)

0.002

3.05 (1.41–6.62)

0.005

 IPTp drug

DP

5/184 (2.7%)

Reference group

Reference group

SP

19/96 (19.8%)

7.28 (2.80–18.9)

< 0.001

3.86 (1.56–9.56)

0.003

Parasites or pigment on placental histopathology (n = 105)

 Malaria burden in pregnancy

None

4/52 (7.7%)

Reference group

Reference group

Low

47/157 (29.9%)

3.89 (1.47–10.3)

0.006

3.27 (1.32–8.12)

0.01

High

54/73 (74.0%)

9.62 (3.71–24.9)

< 0.001

7.07 (2.84–17.6)

< 0.001

 Gravidity

Multigravida

36/182 (19.8%)

Reference group

Reference group

Primigravida

69/100 (69.0%)

3.49 (2.53–4.81)

< 0.001

2.89 (2.12–3.94)

< 0.001

 IPTp drug

DP

56/184 (30.4%)

Reference group

Reference group

SP

49/98 (50.0%)

1.64 (1.22–2.21)

0.001

1.02 (0.79–1.32)

0.87

  1. aResults missing for 2 of the 282 participants