Maternal and perinatal outcomes during a Chikungunya outbreak in Kassala, eastern Sudan.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Arboviruses (dengue, Zika, and chikungunya) have recently emerged as an important public health issue and can lead to adverse obstetrics outcomes. The current study was conducted to assess maternal and perinatal outcomes following chikungunya fever/infection and to compare adverse pregnancy outcomes with data from the community collected in a previous study.

METHODS:

This study was performed during a chikungunya infection epidemic in Kassala, Sudan by recruiting all pregnant women with a confirmed chikungunya fever diagnosis by using antibodies/detection viral RNA using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS:

Ninety-three pregnant women with confirmed chikungunya infection were enrolled. Their mean (standard deviation) age and parity were 31.6 (3.4) years and 3.5 (1.4), respectively. Of the 93 women, 58 (62.4%) delivered a live infant at term and 18 (19.4%), 13 (13.9%), and 4 (4.3%) women experienced miscarriage, preterm birth, and stillbirth, respectively. In the logistic regression model, severe thrombocytopenia (platelets < 50,000 cells/mm3 (odds ratio [OR] = 5.1; confidence interval [CI] 1.8-14; P = 0.001) and leukopenia (OR = 4.5; CI 2.2-8.8; P < 0.001) were predictors for poor obstetric outcomes in pregnant women with chikungunya fever. The rates of miscarriage (18/93 [19.3%] vs. 1/71 [1.4%], P < 0.001) and preterm birth (13/93 [13.9%] vs. 2/71 [2.8%], P = 0.003) were significantly higher in the current study compared with the rate in the community.

CONCLUSION:

Chikungunya infections during pregnancy were associated with miscarriage and preterm birth. Women with severe thrombocytopenia and leukopenia were at higher risk of poor obstetric outcomes. Women with severe thrombocytopenia and leukopenia were at higher risk of poor obstetric outcomes.

• Authors: AbdelAziem A Ali, Tajeldin M Abdallah, Shimos A Alshareef, Abdullah Al-Nafeesah, Ishag Adam
• Journal: Archives of gynecology and obstetrics (Arch Gynecol Obstet) Vol. 305 Issue 4 Pg. 855-858 (04 2022) ISSN: 1432-0711 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 34448947 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Topics

• Chikungunya Fever (complications, epidemiology)
• Disease Outbreaks
• Female
• Humans
• Infant
• Infant, Newborn
• Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Outcome
• Premature Birth (epidemiology)
• Sudan (epidemiology)
• Zika Virus
• Zika Virus Infection