Abstract
Background The relationship between tuberculosis (TB) and adverse pregnancy outcomes remains unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate whether TB is a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes including premature birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth. Method We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study in mainland China. A total of 3,668,004 Chinese women, along with their partners, were included in this study, within the National Free Pre-Pregnancy Checkups Project, during 2015–2018. Propensity score matching was used to balance the two groups (cases: women or partners with TB; controls: women and partners without TB). Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Multivariate logistic regression showed that the OR of stillbirth for cases was 1.89 (95% CI: 1.09–3.16), in comparison with the control group. In the subgroup analysis, women whose partner had TB had a higher risk of stillbirth (OR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.10–3.86) than women whose partner did not have TB. There was no significant difference in adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth, between women with and without TB. Conclusions Women whose partner had TB were more likely to have stillbirth than women whose partners did not have TB.
Highlights
The relationship between tuberculosis (TB) and adverse pregnancy outcomes remains unclear
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 44% of TB cases occurred in regions of Southeast Asia, with 9% of cases being diagnosed in China [2]
Recent evidence from the United States suggests that women with TB are more likely to experience postpartum anemia, preterm birth (PTB), and pneumonia than women without TB; in that study, the incidence of maternal respiratory complications were higher in the TB group than in the control group [7]
Summary
The relationship between tuberculosis (TB) and adverse pregnancy outcomes remains unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate whether TB is a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes including premature birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth. There was no significant difference in adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth, between women with and without TB. Studies have found that TB can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including premature birth, low birth weight (LBW), stillbirth, and cesarean delivery [6]. A prospective study in India suggested that there were no statistically significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between women with TB and controls [9] These inconsistent results might be owing to the limited sample sizes, insufficient control of confounding factors, and ethnicity in these studies
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