Prevalence of urinary tract infection in pregnancy at first antenatal care visit – A hospital based study at the teaching hospital attached to KAHER’s J N Medical College, Belagavi

Abstract

Background & Objectives: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one the most common bacterial infections in pregnancy. The anatomical & physiological changes that occur during pregnancy predispose to develop urinary tract infection. UTI (symptomatic and asymptomatic bacteriuria) can lead to serious maternal and perinatal complications if left untreated. This objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of urinary tract infection in pregnancy at first antenatal care visit to the teaching hospital attached to KAHER’s JN Medical College, Belagavi and the effect of UTI on pregnancy outcome. Methods: This is a prospective cross- sectional study conducted in the teaching hospital attached to KAHER’s J N Medical College, Belagavi. Pregnant women without any known renal disease attending the hospital for their first antenatal care visit from January 2018 to December 2018 were enrolled into the study. UTI was diagnosed using mid stream urine culture and colony count yielding bacterial growth of more than or equal to 105/ml was taken as significant. The pregnant women were followed up to delivery to find the pregnancy outcome. Results: Out of 1602 women analysed, 264 had significant bacteriuria which constitutes 16.5%. Out of 264 women with UTI, 57.57% (152) women were symptomatic and 42.42% (112) women were asymptomatic. There is a significant association between UTI and anaemia, previous history of UTI, catheterisation and Diabetes. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated pathogen followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter and Staphylococcus aureus. UTI was significantly associated with preterm labour, FGR and PPROM among pregnancy outcomes. Interpretation & Conclusion: It is evident from this study that the prevalence of UTI is high among pregnant women and that it can lead to serious pregnancy complications. Therefore it is recommended to screen UTI as early as possible to diagnose and treat the infection accordingly. It is also noted that the prevalence of urinary tract infection is more in third trimester, suggesting rescreening the women in the early third trimester to prevent the maternal and perinatal complications associated with UTI.