TY - JOUR
T1 - Risk factors for spontaneous preterm birth
T2 - A northern Italian multicenter case-control study
AU - Carlini, Laura
AU - Somigliana, Edgardo
AU - Rossi, Gabriele
AU - Veglia, Fabrizio
AU - Busacca, Mauro
AU - Vignali, Mario
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Preterm birth remains one of the most serious problems facing obstetricians. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for spontaneous preterm birth in northern Italy. Nine different collaborating institutions participated in this multicenter case-control study. Cases were defined as women who were spontaneously delivered of a live singleton newborn between 20 and 37 weeks of gestation. One control was matched to each case by delivery date, maternal age and parity. Seven hundred and fifty-four cases and 754 controls were available for data analysis. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained using a standardized questionnaire. At the time of hospital admission, urine and cervico-vaginal samples were collected and tested for bacterial infections and bacterial vaginosis, respectively. Variables found to be statistically significant in the univariate analysis were entered in a multivariate model to examine their independent effects. In order of decreasing odds ratios (ORs), the factors that showed a significant association with preterm delivery were: previous preterm birth (OR 5.7, confidence interval (CI) 2.5-12.9); second-trimester miscarriages (OR 4.4, CI 1.3-15.3); genital bleeding before 24 weeks of gestation (OR 2.5, CI 1.6-3.8); bacterial vaginosis (OR 2.0, CI 1.3-3.1), and previous genital infections (OR 1.6, CI 1.1-2.5). This study confirms that infections play a role in the etiology of preterm birth and that reproductive history is still the most important factor in identifying women at increased risk.
AB - Preterm birth remains one of the most serious problems facing obstetricians. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for spontaneous preterm birth in northern Italy. Nine different collaborating institutions participated in this multicenter case-control study. Cases were defined as women who were spontaneously delivered of a live singleton newborn between 20 and 37 weeks of gestation. One control was matched to each case by delivery date, maternal age and parity. Seven hundred and fifty-four cases and 754 controls were available for data analysis. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained using a standardized questionnaire. At the time of hospital admission, urine and cervico-vaginal samples were collected and tested for bacterial infections and bacterial vaginosis, respectively. Variables found to be statistically significant in the univariate analysis were entered in a multivariate model to examine their independent effects. In order of decreasing odds ratios (ORs), the factors that showed a significant association with preterm delivery were: previous preterm birth (OR 5.7, confidence interval (CI) 2.5-12.9); second-trimester miscarriages (OR 4.4, CI 1.3-15.3); genital bleeding before 24 weeks of gestation (OR 2.5, CI 1.6-3.8); bacterial vaginosis (OR 2.0, CI 1.3-3.1), and previous genital infections (OR 1.6, CI 1.1-2.5). This study confirms that infections play a role in the etiology of preterm birth and that reproductive history is still the most important factor in identifying women at increased risk.
KW - Case-control study
KW - Preterm birth
KW - Risk factor, preterm birth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036284834&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0036284834&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1159/000058370
DO - 10.1159/000058370
M3 - Article
C2 - 12053103
AN - SCOPUS:0036284834
VL - 53
SP - 174
EP - 180
JO - Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation
JF - Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation
SN - 0378-7346
IS - 3
ER -