title: Pregnancy in patients with tuberculosis: a TBNET cross-sectional survey.
abstract: Objectives: To determine whether the incidence of tuberculosis with pregnancy is more common than would be expected from the crude birth rate; to see whether there is significant delay in the diagnosis of tuberculosis during pregnancy.
  
  
  
  Design: A cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  
  13 tuberculosis clinics within different European countries and the USA.
  
  
  
  All patients with tuberculosis seen at these clinics for a period > 1 year.
  
  
  
  Questionnaire survey based on continuous data collection.
  
  
  
  number and proportion of women with tuberculosis who were pregnant; timing of diagnosis in relation to pregnancy, including those who were pregnant or delivered in the 3 months prior to the diagnosis of TB and those who developed TB within 3 months after delivery.
  
  
  
  Pregnancy occurred in 224 (1.5 %) of 15,217 TB patients and followed the expected rate predicted from the crude birth rate for the clinic populations. TB was diagnosed more commonly in the 3 months after delivery (n = 103) than during pregnancy (n = 68; χ2= 25.1, P < 0.001).
  
  
  
  TB is diagnosed more frequently after delivery, despite variations in local TB incidence and healthcare systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Homerton University Hospital, London, E9 6SR, UK. graham.bothamley@homerton.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Graham H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Bothamley
authors.affiliation: TBNET Office, Centre for Research-Borstel, Borstel, Germany.
authors.forename: Cordula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ehlers
authors.affiliation: Republican Research and Practical Centre for Pulmonology and TB, Minsk, Belarus.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Salonka
authors.affiliation: Republican Research and Practical Centre for Pulmonology and TB, Minsk, Belarus.
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skrahina
authors.affiliation: Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Angels
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orcau
authors.affiliation: Regional TB Reference Centre, Villa Marelli Institute, Niguarda Ca'Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Codecasa
authors.affiliation: Regional TB Reference Centre, Villa Marelli Institute, Niguarda Ca'Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrarese
authors.affiliation: University of Belgrade School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Dragica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pesut
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Tuberculosis, Pulmonary Disease and Thoracic Surgery Vyšné Hágy, Ruzomberok, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Solovic
authors.affiliation: National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsia, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Andrii
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dudnyk
authors.affiliation: Hospitalario Universitario de Pontevedra, Pontevedra, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Anibarro
authors.affiliation: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Denkinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guglielmetti
authors.affiliation: UMC St. Pieter - CHU St. Pierre, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Muylle
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Cattinara, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Confalonieri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001723:Birth Rate; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States
keywords: Diagnosis; Postpartum; Pregnancy; TBNET; Tuberculosis