Influenza-like illness during pregnancy: results from a study in the eastern townships, Province of Quebec.
OBJECTIVE
(1) To assess the frequency of influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) during pregnancy; (2) to explore the associated risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes.


METHODS
All women who delivered at the Sherbrooke University Hospital in the province of Quebec during the period of February 15 to April 30, 2002, were invited to complete a questionnaire. Medical records of participating women and of their infants were reviewed. Complement-fixing antibody titres against influenza A were measured in paired sera drawn during antenatal screening and at delivery.


RESULTS
The study participation rate was 96.3%. Nine of 517 women stated that they had received the influenza vaccine during pregnancy, and only 3 of 47 women with a chronic pulmonary disease had been immunized. Overall, 464 ILI episodes were reported by 331 women, and a significant maternal complication occurred in 8 cases. ILI episodes resulted in medical consultations in 55.4% of cases, and in antibiotic prescriptions in 13.8% of cases. There was no indication of an increased frequency of adverse perinatal outcomes associated with ILI during pregnancy. Paired sera were available for 156 participants and seroconversion was observed in 6.6%.


CONCLUSIONS
ILI during pregnancy was associated with health services utilization but complications were infrequent. More studies are needed to demonstrate the usefulness of routine vaccination of healthy pregnant women against influenza.
Tuyishime
Jean-de-Dieu
JD
Clinical Research Centre, Sherbrooke University Hospital Centre, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
De Wals
Philippe
P
Moutquin
Jean-Marie
JM
Frost
Eric
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines