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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.
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.
Objective:
To assess a possible association of urinary tract infection (UTI) during pregnancy and cerebral palsy in offspring.
Design:
Secondary analysis of a case-control study using structured telephone interviews and birth certificate reviews.
Setting:
Cases from community-based agencies providing services to preschool children who were developmentally delayed.
Participants:
One hundred twelve preschool children with cerebral palsy and 153 children without cerebral palsy.
Main Outcome Measures:
Risk for cerebral palsy.
Results:
The prevalence of UTI among case mothers was 17.9% compared with 5.2% among control mothers. The crude odds ratio for risk of cerebral palsy for a mother with a UTI was 3.9, whereas the adjusted odds ratio was approximately 5, indicating that the risk of having a child with cerebral palsy was 4 to 5 times greater for mothers who had a UTI during pregnancy.
Conclusions:
Urinary tract infection during pregnancy was found to be a risk factor for development of cerebral palsy in offspring. Assessment for UTI should occur at the initial prenatal visit and more frequently for women with symptoms or who are at risk. Pregnant women should be educated about preventive measures for UTI. Future research is needed to assess more directly the relationship between UTI during pregnancy and cerebral palsy in offspring.