Perinatal Ureaplasma urealyticum infection increases the need for hospital treatment during the first year of life in preterm infants.
To explore the association of perinatal Ureaplasma urealyticum infection and the need for hospital care during infancy, a cohort of preterm infants were prospectively followed for 12 months. Perinatal U. urealyticum infection was defined as the presence of U. urealyticum in the samples obtained from the trachea and blood. During the first year of life, the infants of the study cohort required 73 hospital admissions resulting in 734 hospital days. The 22 infants with perinatal U. urealyticum infection needed more hospital days for therapy than the 18 infants without infection (546 vs. 188 days, P = 0.042). The difference was caused by an increase in respiratory tract diseases among children with perinatal U. urealyticum infection. Chronic lung disease caused more admissions in infants with perinatal U. Urealyticum infection than without it (P = 0.035). The results indicate that perinatal U. urealyticum infection affects the health of premature infants far beyond the perinatal period.
Ollikainen
J
J
Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
D015331:Cohort Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D018743:Perinatal Care; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D016869:Ureaplasma Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D016990:Ureaplasma urealyticum / Q000302:isolation & purification