Associations between maternal syphilis infection during pregnancy and low birth weight and preterm birth: a prospective cohort study

• Published in: Archives of gynecology and obstetrics Vol. 310; no. 1; pp. 203 - 211
• Main Authors: Sun, Mengting, Luo, Manjun, Wang, Tingting, Zhong, Taowei, Chen, Qian, Liu, Hanjun, Tang, Jiapeng, Li, Liuxuan, Qin, Jiabi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.07.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Birth weight; China - epidemiology; Endocrinology; Female; Gynecology; Human Genetics; Humans; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Infant, Newborn; Infections; Logistic Models; Maternal-Fetal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Obstetrics/Perinatology/Midwifery; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - epidemiology; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - microbiology; Premature birth; Premature Birth - epidemiology; Premature Birth - etiology; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Syphilis; Syphilis - epidemiology; Young Adult; China; Pregnancy; Inflammation; Preterm birth; Low birth weight; Syphilis infection
• ISSN: 1432-0711; 0932-0067; 1432-0711
• DOI: 10.1007/s00404-023-07321-0

Background In recent years, syphilis is still the most common sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Pregnant women infected with syphilis can transmit it to the fetus in utero through mother-to-child transmission, which can directly lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between maternal syphilis infection and low birth weight and preterm birth in offspring. Methods Multinomial logistic regression model was used to analyze the associations between maternal syphilis infection and low birth weight and preterm birth, and to explore its stability through subgroup analysis. Results A total of 34,074 subjects were included in the study. After adjusting for potential confounders, maternal syphilis infection during pregnancy was associated with a 2.60-fold (95% CI 1.83–3.69) increased risk of low birth weight and a 1.91-fold (95% CI 1.35–2.69) increased risk of preterm birth. Subgroup analysis showed that the association was stable. Conclusion We found that maternal syphilis infection during pregnancy was significantly associated with an increased risk of low birth weight and preterm birth. The implementation of reasonable syphilis screening and standardized treatment and follow-up of pregnant syphilis may have important practical significance in reducing the low birth weight and preterm birth rate in offspring.