Relationship between Urogenital Culture Positivity and Threatened Preterm Labor in Pregnant Women

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 229 - 233, 27.08.2024

Aysun Firat , Doruk Cevdi Katlan Nebahat Uzunay

https://doi.org/10.46332/aemj.1372943

Abstract

Purpose: Preterm labor (TPL), which can result in preterm birth, is known as one of the most common causes of pregnancy complications and neonatal morbidities. This study investigates the relationship between positive urogenital culture and preterm labor in patients with TPL.

Materials and Methods: Between 2018 and 2022, medical records of patients monitored due to threatened preterm labor (TPL) were reviewed. Demographic data, gestational histories, and results of vaginal swabs and urine samples were recorded. Transvaginal ultrasound was used to measure cervical length during preterm and term births, categorized as <25mm, <20mm, and <15mm. Statistical analyses were conducted using Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, and Pearson's correlation (r) tests. A significance level of P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 202 patients monitored for TPL were included. Approximately half of the patients (40-50%) tested positive for vaginal culture, whereas this rate was much lower in urine culture (10-15%). There was no significant difference in terms of both vaginal and urine cultures among patients who had early preterm, late preterm, and term births (p>0.05). However, it was observed that positive culture results increased parallel to cervical length shortening (CL<15mm) in both early and late preterm births (p<0.05). Candida, Staphylococcus, and Escherichia species were the most frequently isolated organisms.

Conclusion: In patients with TPL, urogenital culture results did not show significant differences between preterm and term births (r=0.19). However, it is crucial not to overlook the potential of culture positivity (r=0.74) increasing in parallel with cervical length reduction to initiate early labor.

Keywords

preterm delivery, threatened preterm labor, urine culture, urogenital infection, vaginal culture

Ethical Statement

Approval for this study was obtained from Istanbul Education and Research Hospitals’ Ethics Committee (IEAH-24.03.2023/82).

Gebe Kadınlarda Ürogenital Kültür Pozitifliği ile Erken Doğum Tehdidi İlişkisi

Abstract

Amaç: Erken doğumla sonuçlanan preterm eylem tehdidi (TPL), gebelik komplikasyonları ve yenidoğan morbiditesinin en sık görülen sebeplerinden biri olarak bilinmektedir. Bu çalışmada, TPL olan hastalarda pozitif ürogenital kültür ile erken doğum eylemi arasındaki ilişki araştırılmıştır.

Araçlar ve Yöntem: 2018 ile 2022 yılları arasında TPL nedeniyle takip edilen hastaların tıbbi dosyaları değerlendirildi. Demografik verileri, gestasyonel hikayeleri, vaginal swab ve idrar örneklerinin sonuçları kaydedildi. Transvaginal ultrasonografi (TVUS) ile preterm ve term doğum sırasındaki servikal uzunluk ölçümleri yapılarak, <25mm, <20mm ve <15mm olarak derecelendi. İstatistiksel analizler Chi square, Mann Whitney U ve Pearson’s korelasyon (r) testleri ile yapıldı. P<0.05 değeri anlamlı olarak kabul edildi.

Bulgular:TPL ile takip edilen 202 hasta çalışmaya dahil edildi. Hastaların yaklaşık yarısında (%40-50) vaginal kültür pozitif bulunurken, bu oran idrar kültüründe çok daha az (%10-15) idi. Erken preterm, geç preterm ve term doğum yapan hastalar arasında hem vaginal hem de idrar kültürleri açısından bir farklılık saptanmadı (p>0.05). Bununla birlikte, erken ve geç preterm doğumlarda, servikal uzunluğun kısalmasına paralel olarak (CL<15mm) pozitif kültür sonuçlarının arttığı tespit edildi (p<0.05). Candida, Staphylococcus ve Escherichia türleri en sık olarak izole edildi.

Sonuç: TPL olan hastalarda ürogenital kültür sonuçları preterm ve term doğumlar açısından anlamlı farklılık göstermemekle birlikte (r=0.19), servikal uzunluktaki azalma ile paralel şekilde artış gösteren kültürde üremenin (r=0.74) erken eylemi başlatma potansiyeli göz ardı edilmemelidir.

Keywords

erken doğum tehdidi, idrar kültürü, preterm eylem, ürogenital infeksiyon, vaginal kültür

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