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Published on: October 10, 2025
Risk factors and mechanisms of preterm delivery in Malawi
Elizabeth T Abrams1, Danny A Milner, Jesse Kwiek
1Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Problem:
We examined risk factors and mechanisms of preterm delivery (PTD) in malaria-exposed pregnant women in Blantyre, Malawi.
Method Of Study:
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), malaria, syphilis, and anemia were assessed in a cross-sectional study of 572 pregnant women. In a nested case-control study, chorioamnionitis (CAM) was examined; tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, cortisol, and corticotropin-releasing hormone were measured in placental, maternal and/or cord blood.
Results:
HIV, infrequent antenatal clinic attendance, low-maternal weight, no intermittent preventive malaria therapy (IPT), and CAM were associated with PTD, while malaria was not. Of the 18 compartmental cytokine measurements, elevations in placental and/or cord IL-6 and IL-8 were associated with both CAM and PTD. In contrast, there was no overlap between the cytokines affected by malaria and those associated with PTD.
Conclusions:
The HIV and CAM were the major infections associated with PTD in this study. CAM, but not malaria, causes PTD via its effect on proinflammatory cytokines.
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