PNEUMONIA COMPLICATING PREGNANCY

Objective: To determine the clinical course and perinatal outcomes of women with pneumonia complicating pregnancy. Methods: Between 1989 and 1993, we admitted 71 pregnant women for treatment of community-acquir ed pneumonia. Exposure and outcome variables as well as characteristic s of their clinical course were identified and analyzed. Two-sample Wi lcoxon rank-sum and Fisher exact tests were used for statistical analy ses. Results: Five women had adverse pregnancy outcomes related to pne umonia: two maternal-fetal deaths, one preterm delivery, one fetal dea th, and one early abortion. Compared with women whose pregnancies went to term, these five women had a significantly lower mean oxygen press ure on admission (68 versus 83 mmHg). Other risk factors for adverse o utcome included diffuse radiologic pulmonary involvement and current s moking of more than ten cigarettes per day. Neither illicit drug use n or anemia were risk factors. Although 31 of these 71 women had underly ing chronic diseases, these were not associated with negative outcomes . Conclusions: Despite prompt hospitalization and treatment, antepartu m pneumonia is potentially serious, even in young, otherwise healthy w omen. Although underlying maternal disease appears to be related to th e development of antepartum pneumonia, we did not confirm previous rep orts that suggested its relation to adverse pregnancy outcome.