Genitourinary tract infections in pregnancy and low birth weight: case-control study in Australian aboriginal women.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between genital and urinary tract infections in pregnant Aboriginal women and low birth weight.


METHODS
Retrospective case-control study controlling for potential confounding variables.


METHODS
Western Australia from 1985 to 1987.


METHODS
All Aboriginal women (n = 269) who had given birth to singleton infants weighing 2250 g or less (cases), and 269 randomly selected Aboriginal women who had given birth to singleton infants weighing 3000 g or more (controls).


METHODS
Proportions of women in case and control groups who had had genital and urinary tract infections; odds ratios for low birth weight when genitourinary tract infection was present; population attributable fraction of low birth weight to genitourinary tract infection.


RESULTS
At the time of delivery 51% of women in the case group (109/215) had genitourinary tract infections compared with 13% of controls (35/266). After controlling for potential confounding variables the odds ratio for giving birth to infants weighing 2250 g or less when genitourinary tract infection was present was 4.0 (95% confidence interval 2.3 to 7.0). The proportion of infants with low birth weight attributable to genitourinary tract infection in the whole population of Aboriginal women was 32% (95% confidence interval 17% to 49%).


CONCLUSIONS
There was a strong association between low birth weight and the presence of genitourinary tract infections in Aboriginal women both during pregnancy and at the time of delivery. A community intervention trial of screening and treatment of genitourinary infections in this population is recommended.
Schultz
R
R
Department of Public Health, University of Western Australia, Nedlands.
Read
A W
AW
Straton
J A
JA
Stanley
F J
FJ
Morich
P
P
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D052776:Female Urogenital Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011897:Random Allocation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology*; D014904:Western Australia