[Importance of systematic research of urinary infection in pregnant women and the cost of its detection. Proposal for a practical approach]

Abstract

The first part consisted of a prospective study dealing with a series of 170 pregnancies during which cyto-bacteriological examination of urine was carried out in the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th months of pregnancy. Whenever bacteriuria was found it was treated. Those women found to be infected in pregnancy were re-examined bacteriologically and radiologically after delivery. A control series consisted of 200 pregnant women whose urines were not examined in this way unless they had clinical signs. In the first series 39 out of 170 women had at least one positive cyto-bacteriological test. 56 out of 638 examinations were abnormal. 50 had asymptomatic bacteriuria. No patient had any sign of acute pyelonephritis. In the control series 16 of the women had at least one positive cyto-bacteriological test. In all 21 tests were carried out (18 before signs of cystitis developed and 3 before symptoms of acute pyelonephritis). Treating asymptomatic bacteriuria is worth while because it helps to lower the incidence of pyelonephritis. There did not seem to be any relationship between premature labour, fetal mortality and maternal urinary pathology. Tests carried out at two definite intervals in pregnancy would seem to be a sufficient screening for preventing pyelonephritis and would be acceptable from the cost angle.