International Journal of STD & AIDS > Volume 20, Number 7 > Pp. 465-469

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Silveira, M F Articles by Zenilman, J M PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Original research articles

Chlamydia trachomatis infection during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth: a case-control study

M F Silveira MD PhD ^* , K G Ghanem MD PhD , E J Erbelding MD MPH , A E Burke MD MPH , H L Johnson MPH PhD , R H Singh MD MPH  and J M Zenilman MD 

^* Maternal and Child Department, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelatos, Brazil; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine; Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine; Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

Correspondence to: Dr M F Silveira, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Rua Marechal Deodoro, 1160 - 3º andar - Centro, Pelotas, RS 96020–220, BrazilEmail: maris.sul{at}terra.com.br

Our goal was to define the risks of preterm birth associated with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among pregnant women. We accessed clinical records from July 2005 to February 2008. The study population included all pregnant women who gave birth to a singleton newborn of at least 20 weeks' gestation, and who had antenatal care information. We estimated the impact of CT and other STI on the odds of preterm birth using logistic regression. Overall, 2127 women were included in this analysis. The prevalence of CT infection was 4.7%. CT diagnosis was not associated with preterm birth. In conclusion, this study did not find an association between CT and preterm birth. The lack of an association may be explained by early treatment. Future studies evaluating the timing of screening for STIs may help clarify whether pregnant women would benefit more from earlier screening.

Key Words: premature birth • chlamydia • genital infections • prenatal care • pregnancy

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?