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Urinary tract infection during pregnancy: a risk factor for cerebral palsy?

B J Polivka1, J T Nickel, J R Wilkins

  • 1College of Nursing, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA.

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing : JOGNN
|July 1, 1997
PubMed

Insights

Urinary tract infection (UTI) during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of cerebral palsy in children. Early UTI assessment and prevention are crucial for pregnant women to mitigate this risk.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common during pregnancy.
  • Cerebral palsy (CP) is a significant neurodevelopmental disorder with multifactorial causes.
  • The link between maternal UTIs and offspring CP requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between urinary tract infection (UTI) during pregnancy and the development of cerebral palsy (CP) in offspring.
  • To quantify the risk of CP in children born to mothers with a history of UTI during gestation.

Main Methods:

  • Secondary analysis of a case-control study.
  • Utilized structured telephone interviews and birth certificate reviews for data collection.
  • Included 112 children with CP and 153 controls, all preschool-aged.

Main Results:

  • Mothers of children with CP had a significantly higher prevalence of UTI (17.9%) compared to control mothers (5.2%).
  • The adjusted odds ratio indicated that maternal UTI during pregnancy was associated with a 4 to 5 times greater risk of offspring developing cerebral palsy.

Conclusions:

  • Urinary tract infection during pregnancy is identified as a risk factor for cerebral palsy in offspring.
  • Recommendations include routine UTI screening at initial prenatal visits and increased vigilance for symptomatic or high-risk women.
  • Emphasizes the need for pregnant women to be educated on UTI prevention strategies and calls for further research.
Abstract

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