Prevalence of urinary tract infections in pregnancy in rural Andean communities of Peru.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can adversely affect pregnancy, yet their prevalence in rural communities remains poorly understood. Objective: For an initial evaluation of the UTI burden among pregnant women in the San Marcos province of rural Andean Peru, we aimed to determine the UTI prevalence in the region. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a subsample of 250 pregnant women enrolled in the Peruvian Andes Multigenerational High Altitude Cohort (ALTO) from 2021 to 2022. Methods: Structured questionnaires were administered to collect demographic, socioeconomic, maternal health and behavioural data. Urine samples were obtained for dipstick analyses. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between risk factors and UTI. Results: The study participants had a median age of 28 years (IQR: 22–33). A UTI prevalence of 27.6% (CI: 22.4%–33.5%) was observed, surpassing estimates from other regions of Peru. Notably, nearly all pregnant women (96%) utilised antenatal care (ANC) services at least once, primarily visiting health centres and community health posts where doctors and obstetricians were the main care providers. In this population, none of the risk factors exhibited statistically significant associations with UTIs. Conclusion: Our study highlights the prevalence of UTIs among Andean pregnant women in San Marcos and underscores the critical need for routine UTI screening and treatment during ANC visits as recommended by national guidelines. While accessibility to ANC services is not a barrier in this region, enhancing the availability and quality of UTI screening services is crucial. Plain language summary: How Common Are Urinary Tract Infections in Pregnant Women in Rural Areas of the Andes in Peru? Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can cause complications during pregnancy, but we don't know enough about how common they are in rural areas. This study looked at how many pregnant women in San Marcos, a rural area in the Andes of Peru, have UTIs. The goal was to better understand the problem in this community. We studied 250 pregnant women who were part of a larger research project called the Peruvian Andes Multigenerational High Altitude Cohort (ALTO), conducted between 2021 and 2022. The women answered questions about their health, occupation, education and lifestyle. They also provided urine samples, which were tested for UTIs using a dipstick test. The women in this study were, on average, 28 years old. We found that about 28% of the women had a UTI during pregnancy, which is higher than rates reported in other parts of Peru. Almost all of the women (96%) received antenatal care at least once, with most of them going to local health centers or community health posts, where obstetricians provided care. However, even though these women were receiving antenatal care, many were not regularly tested or treated for UTIs. Our study shows that UTIs are common in pregnant women in this region. Since UTIs can lead to serious health problems for both mothers and babies, it's important to make UTI testing a regular part of antenatal care and improve access to treatment in rural communities like San Marcos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]