Introduction:

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common medical complication during pregnancy and is associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Objectives:

To determine the prevalence of UTI in socially vulnerable pregnant women in Bucaramanga, Colombia, and to characterize these cases. Also, to identify the factors associated with the development of this complication and the antibiotic resistance profile of the microorganisms causing the infection.

Materials and methods:

Secondary analysis of the data obtained in a main study conducted on 838 pregnant women treated by the public healthcare network of Bucaramanga. The prevalence of UTI was estimated considering the number of pregnant women with a urine culture report (n=648). A descriptive analysis of the sample characteristics and a bivariate analysis were performed to evaluate the differences in the diagnosis of UTI. Finally, factors associated with UTI were estimated using a binomial logistic regression model.

Results:

The prevalence of UTI during pregnancy was 14.51% (n=94). For each year that maternal age increased, a 6% reduction in the prevalence of UTI (PR: 0.94 95% CI: 0.90-0.98, p<0.001) was observed. Moreover, an association was found between having a history of UTI and developing this complication during pregnancy (PR: 3.6 95% CI: 1.81-7.08, p= 0.005). The most common pathogens isolated were E. Coli (75.53%) and Klebsiella spp (17.02%).

Conclusion:

About 15% of the participants had UTI, so it is necessary to implement health education strategies aimed at socially vulnerable pregnant women, mainly the youngest and those with a history of UTI, to reduce its occurrence and possible consequences for maternal-fetal health. Furthermore, the data reported herein may help develop public policies to improve prevention and care of UTI in this population.

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