Abstract

Background: Inter pregnancy interval has been associated with adverse neonatal outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight. Little is known on the effect of Interpregnancy interval on the recurrence of preterm birth. This study aimed to determine the effect of Interpregnancy interval on the recurrence of spontaneous preterm birth among women who delivered at KCMC hospital, Northern Tanzania.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using maternally-linked birth registry data from all recorded women who delivered two consecutive singleton pregnancies and spontaneous preterm birth in their first pregnancy from 2005 - 2015 at KCMC referral hospital. The outcome was the recurrence of spontaneous preterm birth and IPI was the primary exposure of interest. We analyzed data using STATA version 15 and estimated the relative risk and recurrence risk of spontaneous preterm birth with 95% confidence intervals using the log-binomial regression model at a 5% statistical significance level.

Results: The recurrence rate of spontaneous preterm was 23.1%. IPI of ≥ 60, 18 - 23 and 12 - 17 months were associated with lower risk (RR: 0.79; 95%CI 0.53 - 1.16), (RR: 0.78; 95%CI 0.54 - 1.13) and (RR: 0.92; 95%CI 0.65 - 1.31) of SPTB in the subsequent pregnancies compared to 24-59 months. However, these associations were not statistically significant. On the other hand, inadequate (< 4) ANC visits during pregnancy significantly increased the risk of SPTB (RR: 3.98; 95%CI: 3.05 - 5.20) in the subsequent pregnancy.

Conclusion: The recurrence of SPTB is high among women in this study. The short and long IPI were all protective against the risk of recurrence SPTB while inadequate (< 4) ANC visits increased the risk. Interventions to promote optimal Interpregnancy interval and close follow-up of women at risk, especially during ANC visits, may reduce the risk of recurrence of preterm birth and associated adverse outcomes.

Keywords: Inter-Pregnancy Interval; Recurrence Risk; Spontaneous Preterm Birth; Tanzania

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Citation

Citation: Sophia Kiwango., et al. "The Effect of Inter-Pregnancy Interval on the Recurrence Rate of Spontaneous Preterm Birth among Women who Delivered at KCMC Hospital, Tanzania: A Registry-based Cohort Study". Acta Scientific Paediatrics 3.11 (2020): 59-65.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2020 Sophia Kiwango., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.