TB more likely in postpartum women

Women are more likely to be diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in the six months following pregnancy, a study has revealed.

A joint study between the Health Protection Agency and the University of East Anglia revealed that among pregnant women and recent mothers, TB was increased in postpartum women.

The team studied 192,801 women with a total of 264,136 pregnancies and found that of the 177 cases of TB, 22 occurred during pregnancy, while 22 were in a 180 day period after birth.

Postpartum TB risk was therefore significantly higher than the risk outside of pregnancy, while no significant rise was seen during pregnancy.

"Given our results, targeted screening of pregnant and post-partum women in high-risk groups may be warranted, given that delays in treatment initiation are associated with poorer outcomes for both mothers and their children," said Dominik Zenner, consultant in public health at the Respiratory Diseases Department at the Health Protection Agency.

Posted by Neil Clark