Pregnant Women Are at Higher Risk for Flu-Related Hospitalization

Regardless of trimester, a woman who is pregnant has a greater risk of being hospitalized for seasonal influenza compared with a woman who is not pregnant, according to results of a new study.

To measure the incidence of influenza-related hospitalization and outpatient visits by pregnancy, postpartum, and trimester status, the researchers analyzed individual-level administrative data sets and active surveillance data. 

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During 2012 to 2015, participants who were either pregnant or in the postpartum stage accounted for 46 of the 260 (17.7%) influenza-confirmed hospitalizations for acute respiratory infection and 13 of the 294 (4.4%) influenza-confirmed outpatient visits.

Both overall and by trimester, the pregnant and postpartum participants had higher rates of influenza-associated hospitalization than women who were not pregnant.

However, the hospitalization rates varied by influenza virus type. While influenza A viruses were associated with an increased risk of hospitalization, influenza B virus was not.

Ethnicity also played a role in the risk of hospitalization due to influenza among the pregnant participants, with those who were Māori having a higher risk than participants who were of European or another ethnicity. 

The researchers did not observe similar risks for influenza-confirmed outpatient visits.

—Colleen Murphy

Reference:

Prasad N, Huang QS, Wood T, et al. Influenza-associated outcomes among pregnant, postpartum, and nonpregnant women of reproductive age. J Infect Dis. 2019;219(12): 1893-1903. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiz035.