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Adverse perinatal outcomes of chlamydia infections: an ongoing challenge

  • Yael Eliner ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Moti Gulersen ORCID logo , Amos Grunebaum , Erez Lenchner , Liron Bar-El ORCID logo , Frank A. Chervenak and Eran Bornstein
Published/Copyright: December 24, 2021

Abstract

Objectives

Chlamydia trachomatis is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world, but there are limited data on its impact on perinatal outcomes. Our objective was to investigate the association between chlamydia infections and adverse perinatal outcomes.

Methods

This is a retrospective analysis of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention natality live birth database for the years 2016–2019. The rates of adverse perinatal outcomes were compared between patients with a chlamydia infection during pregnancy and patients without such infection, using Pearson’s chi-square test with the Bonferroni adjustment. A multivariate logistic regression was then used to adjust outcomes for potential confounders.

Results

Chlamydia infections were associated with small, but statistically significant, increased odds of preterm birth (<37 weeks), early preterm birth (<32 weeks), low birthweight (<2,500 g), congenital anomalies, low 5-min Apgar score (<7), neonatal intensive care unit admission, immediate neonatal ventilation, prolonged (>6 h) neonatal ventilation, and neonatal antibiotic treatment for suspected sepsis.

Conclusions

Chlamydia infections during pregnancy are associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. These results call for increased education regarding the potential risks of pregnancies with a chlamydia infection, as well as for increased antenatal surveillance and post-natal pediatric assessment in these pregnancies.


Corresponding author: Yael Eliner, MD, MPH, PGY-1, Department of Ob/Gyn, Lenox Hill Hospital – Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, 100 E 77th St., New York, NY 10075, USA, E-mail:

Presented, in part, as a poster presentation (final abstract number 618) at the 41st annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, held virtually, January 25th–30th, 2021.


  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Not applicable. Informed consent was not required, as the de-identified data are publicly available through a data use agreement with the National Center for Health Statistics.

  5. Ethical approval: Not applicable. Institutional Review Board approval was not required, as the de-identified data are publicly available through a data use agreement with the National Center for Health Statistics.

References

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Received: 2021-10-10
Accepted: 2021-12-08
Published Online: 2021-12-24
Published in Print: 2022-05-25

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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