Deworming in pregnancy – yes or no? - a double blind, randomized, controlled trial

Background & Objectives: This study was conducted to observe the change in Hb % after iron supplementation, with and without a single dose of anthelminthic Albendazole (400 mg), in two groups of pregnant women.
Materials & Methods: This is a double blind, randomized (simple randomization) controlled study, carried out among 134 consenting pregnant women attending the antenatal clinics of a University Medical College in South India. The confidence interval of the study was 95 % with a power of 20 %. The Study group A was prescribed 300 mg Ferrous Fumarate tablet daily for 30 days PLUS Single, stat dose of 400 mg Albendazole. The Control group B was prescribed 300 mg of Ferrous Fumarate tablet per day for 30 days PLUS a single, stat dose of a chewable antacid tablet (placebo).
Results: The mean Hb (Hemoglobin) level prior to treatment for Group A was 9.257 g %(with deworming) and for Group B(without deworming) was 9.924 g % (p> 0.05-NS). Post treatment, the mean Hb level for group A was 10.775 g % and that in Group B was 10.037 g % (p<< 0.001-HS).Hence a significant rise in the Hb level has been observed in group A post treatment.
Conclusion: Pregnant women benefit significantly from deworming in pregnancy with the improvement of anemia and without causing any adverse effects on the growing fetus. Hence, every pregnant woman should be offered an anthelminthic, whatever her baseline Hb%, in the second or third trimester of pregnancy.