Etiology and Prevalence of Urinary Tract Infections Among Pregnant Women in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kota Region

Abstract

Background: UTI’s are more common during pregnancy because of changes in the urinary tract and has been reported among 20% of the pregnant women with significant reason for hospital admission. It has several adverse outcomes not only on the mother but also on the fetus like chronic renal failure, pyelonephritis, preeclampsia, anemia, fetal mortality and premature delivery.
 Patients and methods: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and etiologyof UTI among 120 pregnant women attending the ANC of GMC Kotaduring the study period from January 2017 to June 2017.UTI was diagnosed by growth of at least 105 CFU/ml of a urinary tract pathogen in a culture of a midstream urine sample. The isolated bacteria were identified by biochemical tests.
 Results: Of the 120 urine samples examined in this study,34 (28.33%) were found to contain significant bacteriuria. Of the variables examined, Highest prevalence was observed in 21-25 years age group (50%), multipara (44.11%), and in 3rd trimester (55.88%). The bacterial pathogens isolated were most commonly Escherichia coli (55.88%), Klebsiella sps(20.6%), Pseudomonas sps(8.82%), Proteus sps(5.88%), Enterobacter sps(5.88%), Enterococcus sps(2.94%).
 Conclusion: The prevalence rate of urinary tract infection (UTI) during pregnancy is high. So it is important to do routine screening of all pregnant women for significant bacteriuria to reduce the complications on both maternal and fetal health. The study also recommends health education on personal sanitary hygiene.