Objective This population-based study was aimed to determine whether there is an association between urinary tract infections (UTI) during pregnancy, among patients in whom antibiotic treatment was recommended, and maternal and perinatal outcomeMethods A retrospective population-based study comparing all singleton pregnancies of patients with and without UTI was performed Multiple logistic regression models were performed to control for confoundersResults Out of 199,093 deliveries, 23% (n = 4742) had UTI during pregnancy and delivery Patients with UTI had significantly higher rates of intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR), pre-eclampsia, caesarean deliveries (CD) and pre-term deliveries (either before 34 weeks or 37 weeks of gestation) Although controlling for possible confounders such as maternal age and parity, using multivariable analyses, the significant association between UTI and IUGR, pre-eclampsia, CD and pre-term deliveries persisted In contrast, no significant differences in 5-min Ap

Maternal urinary tract infection: is it independently associated with adverse pregnancy outcome?

Phenotypic and metabolic characteristics of monocytes and granulocytes in normal pregnancy and maternal infection

Background. The complement system, a major component of innate immunity, has recently been implicated in the mechanisms of fetal loss and placental inflammation in the anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome. Inhibition of complement has been proposed as an absolute requirement for normal pregnancy. Yet, pregnancy is characterized by a generalized activation of the innate immune system. This study was conducted to determine whether or not normal pregnancy is associated with complement activation in the maternal circulation.Methods. Anaphylatoxins (C3a, C4a and C5a) were determined in the plasma of normal pregnant (20–42 wks; n = 134) and non-pregnant women (n = 40). These complement split products (C3a, C4a and C5a) were measured using specific immunoassays. Non-parametric statistics were used for analysis.Results. 1) The median plasma concentrations of C3a, C4a and C5a were significantly higher in normal pregnant women than in non-pregnant women (all p < 0.001); 2) the concentration of C3a, C4a and C5a did n...

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Normal pregnancy is characterized by systemic activation of the complement system

Preeclampsia/eclampsia remains an important cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Its origins lie in a mismatch between fetoplacental demands and the ability of the uteroplacental arteries to supply those demands, a situation that also arises in normotensive intrauterine growth restriction (the fetal syndrome of preeclampsia in isolation). Why is there this differential response to the same underlying pathology? This review summarises the evidence surrounding a potential trigger for the differential response, namely infection. This builds on the inflammatory model of preeclampsia for which there is increasing support. The evidence for an infectious trigger is principally indirect, linking the similarities between acute atherosis in preeclampsia and atherosclerosis, the increased likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease later in life following a preeclampsia pregnancy, and the association between chronic infection and atherogenesis. Also reviewed is the human and animal model evidence for an infectious trigger for preeclampsia. Perhaps preeclampsia truly is the 'toxemia' of pregnancy.

https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1034/j.1600-0412.2002.810710.x

Could an infectious trigger explain the differential maternal response to the shared placental pathology of preeclampsia and normotensive intrauterine growth restriction

Efrati P

Papers

Leukocytes of normal pregnant women.