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

OBJECTIVES: 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.

METHODS: Crude and multivariable analyses were performed with a perinatal registry cohort of 25,746 mother/infant pairs.

RESULTS: 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.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the importance of antepartum urine screening to identify patients at risk for adverse outcomes.