Effect of Bacteriuria During Pregnancy on Preeclampsia: Case-Control Study

Abstract

Background & Aim: Urinary tract infection (UTI) and preeclampsia are common among pregnant women and are associated with adverse maternal-fetal and neonatal outcomes.

The research aims to study the relationship between bacteriuria and pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, whether they constitute a risk factor, and the types of pathogens

Materials and Methods: Study design: A cross-sectional study of a case-control model, included a sample of pregnant women admitted to the general and private labor divisions of the Obstetrics and Gynecology University Hospital in Damascus with a gestational age > 20 weeks between 1/7/2020 to 1/7/2021.

Results: The study included 65 pregnant women with pre-eclampsia, and 65 pregnant women without pre-eclampsia. The mean gestational age was smaller in the pre-eclampsia group, and the difference was statistically significant. In the pre-eclampsia group, the mean age, body mass index, percentage of nulliparous, percentage of prior miscarriage, mean number of pregnancies, mean number of births, smokers, diabetes mellitus, previous gestational diabetes, previous gestational hypertension and family history of pre-eclampsia were greater, but the difference was not statistically significant. There was a statistically significant relationship between bacteriuria and pre-eclampsia, as the percentage of bacteriuria in the control group was 26.2%, while it was 43.1% in the pre-eclampsia group. The bacteria detected in the control and pre-eclampsia groups were, respectively, Escherichia coli (41.2% vs. 42.9%), Klebsiella (23.5% vs. 21.4%), Staphylococcus (23.5% vs. 25%), Acinetobacter (5.9% vs. 7.1%) and Enterococcus faecalis (5.9) % vs. 3.6%). The relationship between the type of bacteria detected with pre-eclampsia was not statistically significant.

Conclusions: Bacteriuria is common in pregnant women and constitutes a risk factor for pre-eclampsia. Therefore, early detection and treatment of bacteriuria contributes to the prevention of its negative effects on pregnancy and the risk of pre-eclampsia.