Urinary tract infection during pregnancy: its association with maternal morbidity and perinatal outcome.

Abstract

The effects of antepartum urinary tract infection on adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes were examined. Antepartum urinary tract infection has been previously implicated as a risk factor for numerous outcomes. Crude and multivariable analyses were performed with a perinatal registry cohort of 25,746 mother/infant pairs. Elevated risks were observed for exposure to urinary tract infection and low birthweight, prematurity, preterm low birthweight, premature labor, hypertension/preeclampsia, maternal anemia, and amnionitis. Urinary tract infection was associated with perinatal death only among subjects 20 to 29 years of age. These findings underscore the importance of antepartum urine screening to identify patients at risk for adverse outcomes.