Deprivation and infection among spontaneous very preterm births.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relationship between infection and socioeconomic deprivation among mothers of spontaneous very preterm infants to contribute to the understanding of the deprivation gap in the incidence of very preterm birth.


METHODS
We used comprehensive data from a large retrospective study of very preterm birth in a U. K. health region (representing approximately 1 in 12 U.K. births) between 1994 and 2005. We report the relationship between fetal or maternal infection before birth and deprivation quintile of all singleton live births at 22 0/7 to 32 6/7 weeks of gestation associated with spontaneous onset of labor.


RESULTS
Overall, 24% of the 4,987 spontaneous very preterm singleton births had recorded evidence of maternal or fetal infection. Rates of infection increased significantly with increasing deprivation. Spontaneous very preterm births to mothers from the most deprived quintile were at 43% increased odds of being associated with infection compared with those from the least deprived quintile (odds ratio 1.43, 95% confidence interval 1.13-1.80) after adjusting for gestation, year of birth, and mother's age.


CONCLUSIONS
Spontaneous very preterm births to mothers from more deprived areas are more likely to be associated with infection before birth.


METHODS
II.
Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, 22-28 Princess Road West, Leicester, United Kingdom. lks1@le.ac.uk
Lucy K
LK
Smith
Elizabeth S
ES
Draper
Bradley N
BN
Manktelow
David J
DJ
Field
D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology