The failure to diagnose tuberculosis during pregnancy can have a number of adverse effects on the mother and/or neoate including death.
Risk factors for failure to make the diagnosis:
(1) lack of prenatal care
(2) misdiagnosis of symptoms as pregnancy-related
(3) failure to recognize clinical clues
(4) reluctance to perform a chest X-ray because of radiation exposure
(5) failure to recognize risk a woman at increased risk
Risk factors of a woman having tuberculosis during pregnancy:
(1) household contact with an active case of tuberculosis
(2) living in or emigrating from a country with a high incidence of tuberculosis
(3) working in a mycobacteriology laboratory
(4) living or working in a high-risk setting (prison, homeless shelter, etc)
(4) diabetes
(5) HIV infection
(6) immunosuppressive therapy
(7) substance use disorder
(8) silicosis
(9) history of previous tuberculosis
Clinical clues in a woman with risk factors:
(1) unexplained infertility
(2) other genitourinary symptoms
(3) abnormal chest X-ray
(4) unexplained anemia
(5) preterm labor
(6) intrauterine growth retardation
(7) chronic cough
(8) night sweats
(9) poor weight gain
