Ishag Adam

By Gasim I Gasim and Ishag Adam

Parasitic infections (e.g., malaria and helminthiases) have a huge impact on public health in endemic areas. Moreover, parasitic infestations are prominent causes of anemia in the tropics and subtropics, further perpetuated by malnutrition, inflammatory, and genetic diseases. Anemia-associating parasitic infections vary depending on the requirements and pathophysiology of the parasites. There is an interplay between different factors that can be segregated as host and parasite factors, resulting in severe anemia accompanying these parasitic infestations. The pathophysiological mechanisms leading to anemia associated with the different parasites vary greatly, including hemolysis, anemia of inflammation, bone marrow suppression, and micronutrients deficiency. The major means to deal with this anemia include prevention and treatment of such infestations.

Part of the book: Nutritional Deficiency

By Ishag Adam and Abdelaziem A. Ali

Anemia during pregnancy is a considerable health problem, with around two-fifths of pregnant women worldwide being anemic. Many gynecological and infectious diseases are predisposing factors for anemia during pregnancy. Anemia during pregnancy—especially the severe form—can lead to various maternal and perinatal adverse effects such as preterm labor, low birth weight, and intrauterine fetal death. It is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. Therefore, preventive measures are needed if anemia and its adverse effects are to be prevented. Iron and folic acid supplements are the cornerstone for the prevention of anemia during pregnancy and one of the earliest preventive measures adopted in antenatal care. Other measures to prevent anemia during pregnancy include the fortification of principle foods with iron, increasing health and nutritional awareness, combating parasitic infections, and improvement in sanitation. There is a controversy concerning the benefit of other elements such as zinc, copper, and magnesium, so the use of these elements is not widely adopted for the prevention of anemia.

Part of the book: Nutritional Deficiency

By Zaheera Saadia, Nadiah AlHabardi and Ishag Adam

Cesarean delivery is needed (indicated) for many reasons such as failure to progress, cephalopelvic disproportion, antepartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia, and repeated cesareans. The increase of the cesarean delivery rate is accompanied with an increase in the maternal and perinatal morbidities and increase in maternal mortality such as complications of anesthesia, injury to the nearby structure, respiratory distress syndrome, childhood allergy and childhood obesity. Vaginal delivery after cesarean section (VBAC) is one of the tools that aimed to reduce the rate of cesarean delivery. Here in this chapter we would like to highlight the different guidelines for VBAC, the success rate of VBAC, the determinant of the success rate, maternal and perinatal outcomes of VBAC. Then the arena of using oxytocic drugs in VBAC is discussed in details too.

Part of the book: Caesarean Section