Table 1.
Participant characteristics, malaria parameters, iron markers and delivery outcomes
| Variable | Mean [SD], range; or median {IQR}, range; or N (%) |
|---|---|
| Participant characteristics at enrolment1 | |
| Maternal age, years (N = 268) | 24 [17], 16–49 |
| Mid upper arm circumference, cm (N = 270) | 22.4 [1.8], 12–30 |
| Primigravidae | 106/279 (38) |
| Estimated gestational age, weeks (N = 276) | 25.3 [4.2], 7–36 |
| Education | |
| None or primary | 154/275 (56) |
| Secondary+ | 121/275 (44) |
| Current smoker (yes) | 56/278 (20) |
| Used bed net last night (yes) | 200/264 (76) |
| Clinical history of fever, chills or headache in past 7 days (yes) | 67/276 (24) |
| Palpable spleen (yes) | 51/262 (19) |
| Malariometrics and iron status at enrolment | |
| Plasmodium spp. infection detectable by PCR | 185/279 (66) |
| Plasmodium spp. infection2 | 98/279 (35) |
| P. falciparum | 93/279 (33) |
| P. vivax | 9/279 (3) |
| Haemoglobin, g/dL (N = 279) | 8.5 [1.4], 5.3–12.8 |
| Ferritin, μg/L (N = 279) | 8.2 {4.6–17.5}, 2.4–121.3 |
| Iron deficient (ferritin < 15 μg/L) | 199/279 (71) |
| CRP, mg/L (N = 258)3 | 5.15 {1.80–11.72}, 0.18–255.65 |
| High CRP (> 10 mg/L) | 90/279 (32) |
| Malariometric and birth outcomes at delivery | |
| Placental Plasmodium spp. infection2 | 39/223 (17) |
| P. falciparum | 34/223 (15) |
| P. vivax | 6/223 (3) |
| Plasmodium spp. infection2 | 37/274 (13) |
| P. falciparum | 31/274 (11) |
| P. vivax | 6/274 (2) |
| Haemoglobin, g/dL (N = 270) | 9.2 [1.7], 4.7–14.2 |
| Birth weight, grams (N = 279) | 2857 [452], 1400–4500 |
| Low birth weight (< 2500 g) | 47/279 (17) |
| Gestational age at delivery, weeks (N = 279) | 38 {37–40}, 28–42 |
| Preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) | 62/279 (22) |
1N = 279
2Plasmodium spp. infection detectable by light microscopy of Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films, unless otherwise specified. Four women had a mixed infection at enrolment (P. falciparum and P. vivax), one woman had mixed placental infection and one woman had mixed peripheral infection at delivery
321 measurements were outside the assay standard curve so were excluded from the CRP concentration descriptive analysis but classified as >10 mg/L for high CRP descriptive analysis
CRP C-reactive protein, IQR interquartile range, PCR polymerase chain reaction, SD standard deviation