Highlights
- •Pregnant women had higher rates of influenza-associated events than non-pregnant women.
- •Second-trimester women had the highest rates of influenza-associated outpatient visits.
- •Third-trimester women had the highest rates of influenza-associated hospitalizations.
- •Having any comorbidity was associated to an increased risk of influenza-associated events.
Summary
Objective
To estimate outpatient visits and hospitalization rates due to cardiopulmonary illness
attributable to influenza from 2008-09 to 2012-13 in a large cohort of pregnant women
from Catalonia, Spain.
Methods
We estimated the event rates occurring during influenza epidemic, influenza non-epidemic
and non-influenza seasons, and by pregnancy status (one year before pregnancy, first,
second and third trimester). We fitted quasi-Poisson models in order to identify the
variables associated to higher event rates.
Results
During influenza epidemic seasons, pregnant women in their second trimester had the
highest rates of outpatient visits (153 per 10,000 women-months). An increased risk
of outpatient visits was associated to first or second trimester (adjusted rate ratio
(aRR) = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.10–1.23 and aRR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.28–1.43, respectively) and
having any comorbidity (aRR = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.21–1.36). Women during third trimester
had the highest rates of hospitalizations (1.60 per 10,000 women-months), and an increased
risk of hospitalization was significantly associated to third trimester (aRR, 1.85;
95% CI, 1.01–3.39), having any comorbidity (aRR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.10–3.41) and the
pandemic influenza season (aRR, 2.90 (1.81; 95% CI, 1.81–4.64).
Conclusion
Our findings provide significant information regarding influenza burden of disease
among pregnant women.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 05, 2018
Accepted:
June 26,
2018
Received in revised form:
June 18,
2018
Received:
December 18,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
