Tuberculosis and Pregnancy: An Updated Systematic Review

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) affects women, especially in the child-bearing years. TB is associated with a poorer outcome of pregnancy, although this may be due to the general risk factors for TB, namely poverty, malnutrition and overcrowding. New studies have shown that symptom screening has a low sensitivity and specificity, but is improved by the addition of a tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) or, in high incidence areas, DNA amplification tests (e.g. Xpert MTB/RIF). TB-HIV co-infection is a common cause of mortality and morbidity in pregnancy. The diagnostic process remains the same in pregnancy, but non-specific symptoms and extra pulmonary disease demand a higher level of suspicion of TB. Standard first-line treatment is safe in pregnancy. Data on second-line drugs in pregnancy is still limited, but injectable drugs may affect the hearing and balance of the fetus. The IGRA responses appear to change during pregnancy, with more positive responses after delivery. The increasing incidence of drug-resistant TB, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, requires an evaluation of the safety of second-line drugs in pregnancy.