| Summary: | ABSTRAK
Malaria represents a serious threat for pregnant women in endemic area. These women are more susceptible due to the decrease in their natural immunological defenses. A proportion of mothers develop a heavy infection of the placenta, which is more common in the first and early pregnancies. Malaria attacks may induce abortion. Severe P.falciparum malaria is commonly associated with anemia, hypoglycemia or cerebral malaria which result in higher maternal mortality. The disease may result in prematurity, low birth weight infants (mostly small-for-dates) and congenital malaria. Treatment or prophylactic antimalarial drugs during pregnancy shows an increase in birth weight, which may improve the infant's survival and its potential for intelectual development.
Key words: falciparurn malaria, pregnancy, LBW infants, congenital malaria.
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