Susceptibility and severity of infections in pregnancy

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In pregnancy, there is an increased susceptibility and/or severity of several infectious diseases.

General determinants

There are several potential risk factors or causes to this increased risk:

Examples

Pregnant women are more severely affected by

varicella.[1] Pregnancy may also increase susceptibility for toxoplasmosis.[2]

Infections where pregnancy increases susceptibility
Infection Increased
susceptibility[1]		 Increased
severity[1]		 Prevention[1] Management[1]
Influenza No Yes Influenza prevention:
Hepatitis E No Yes
  • Sanitation programs
  • High index of clinical suspicion
  • Supportive care
Herpes simplex
 No Yes Safe sex
  • High index of clinical suspicion
  • Antiviral therapy
  • Supportive care
  • Care of the newborn
Malaria Yes Yes Intermittent preventive therapy:
Listeriosis Yes No
  • Dietary guidance
  • Early identification
  • Antimicrobial therapy
  • Care of the newborn
Measles No Yes
  • High index of clinical suspicion
  • Supportive care
Smallpox No Yes
  • Very high index of clinical suspicion
  • Supportive care
HIV/AIDS Yes No
Varicella
 No Yes
Coccidioidomycosis No Yes No proven methods of prevention
  • Early identification
  • Antifungal therapy

During the

third trimester
of pregnancy were at increased risk for severe disease, such as disease requiring admission to an intensive care unit or resulting in death, as compared with women in an earlier stage of pregnancy.[1]

For hepatitis E, the case fatality rate among pregnant women has been estimated to be between 15% and 25%, as compared with a range of 0.5 to 4% in the population overall, with the highest susceptibility in the third trimester.[1]

Primary

herpes genitalis
increase in frequency during pregnancy.[1]

The risk of severe

antigens.[1] Young maternal age and increases the risk.[1] Studies differ whether the risk is different in different trimesters.[1] Limited data suggest that malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax is also more severe during pregnancy.[1]

Severe and disseminated coccidioidomycosis has been reported to occur in increased frequency in pregnant women in several reports and case series, but subsequent large surveys, with the overall risk being rather low.[1]

Varicella occurs at an increased rate during pregnancy, but mortality is not higher than that among men and non-pregnant women.[1]

neonatal disease.[1]

Some infections are vertically transmissible, meaning that they can affect the embryo, fetus, or baby.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^
    PMID 24897084
    .
  2. ^ Jamieson DJ, Theiler RN, Rasmussen SA. Emerging infections and pregnancy. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006 Nov. Available from https://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no11/06-0152.htm
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