Toxoplasmosis belongs to the group of the most dangerous diseases that can develop in a woman during pregnancy. The danger of this pathology lies in the serious complications of pregnancy that can occur against its background. If infection occurs in the first trimester or immediately before pregnancy, a woman often has a spontaneous interruption. At later dates, toxoplasmosis is highly likely to cause serious congenital malformations in the fetus. That is why every practicing obstetrician-gynecologist should be aware of the methods of treating toxoplasmosis.
Methods for the prevention and treatment of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy
Toxoplasmosis, which occurs during pregnancy, causes severe brain malformations in the fetus. Tests for TORCH infections, including toxoplasmosis, are taken by the expectant mother literally from the first days of pregnancy. If, according to the results of tests in the blood of a woman, antibodies to toxoplasmosis are not detected, this is not a reason to rejoice. On the contrary, this means that a woman is highly likely to become infected with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, and urgent preventive measures must be applied to her. If the analysis confirms the development of an acute infectious process, treatment of toxoplasmosis should be started immediately.
Toxoplasmosis treatment:
- methods for preventing toxoplasmosis in pregnant women;
- effective treatments for toxoplasmosis in pregnant women;
- how is toxoplasmosis treated in newborns.
Methods for preventing toxoplasmosis in pregnant women
Since the absence of antibodies to toxoplasma in the blood of a pregnant woman suggests the possibility of infection with toxoplasmosis with a high probability, preventive measures should be taken immediately against her. Prevention of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy is as follows:
- restriction of contact between a pregnant woman and cats;
- frequent handwashing, especially before meals;
- eating only thermally processed meat products;
- avoid visiting places where you can meet the infection;
- check for toxoplasmosis in blood that is to be transfused into a pregnant woman.
Effective treatments for toxoplasmosis in pregnant women
Treatment of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women should be started as soon as an acute infection is confirmed. With effective and timely treatment of the disease, the risk of complications in the fetus is less than 5%. Treatment of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women is as follows:
- pregnancy period up to 15 weeks - within 4 weeks, therapy is carried out with an antibacterial drug from the macrolide group - spiramycin, which prevents the penetration of toxoplasma into the placenta, and hence the infection of the fetus;
- From the 16th week of pregnancy, toxoplasmosis is treated with a combination of pyrimethamine and sulfanilamide.
Adverse effects of treatment of toxoplasmosis that could lead to interruption of therapeutic measures are extremely rare today.
How is toxoplasmosis treated in newborns
Treatment of toxoplasmosis in newborns is carried out using the same medications as the treatment of pregnant women: pyrimethamine, spiramycin and sulfadimezin. The duration of treatment is different, in some cases it can last up to several years. Toxoplasmosis is treated in newborns under constant monitoring of urine and blood tests. Since pyrimethamine is teratogenic, its administration is contraindicated in the first trimester of pregnancy. But by prescribing a combined therapy regimen at a later date, not only the pregnant woman, but also the fetus is treated. Termination of pregnancy in the first or second trimester when toxoplasmosis is confirmed is performed only at the insistence of the patient.
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