Am J Perinatol 1999; 16(7): 365-372
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-993886
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

© 1999 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

Preeclampsia Does not Increase the Risk for Culture Proven Sepsis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

David A. Paul1 , 3 , Kathleen H. Leef2 , Anthony Sciscione2 , Deborah J. Tuttle1 , 3 , John L. Stefano1 , 3
  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology, Section of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Christiana Hospital, Newark, Delaware
  • 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Section of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Christiana Hospital, Newark, Delaware
  • 3Department of Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
04 March 2008 (online)

ABSTRACT

The risk of sepsis associated with neutropenia in infants born to mothers with preeclampsia remains controversial. The objective of this study is to investigate the incidence of culture-proven sepsis along with changes in the complete blood count in very-low-birth-weight infants born to mothers with preeclampsia. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of infants cared for at a single tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit during a 4-year period. Infants born to mothers with preeclampsia (n = 88) were compared to infants born to mothers without preeclampsia (n = 416) by univariate and multivariate analysis. Although infants born to mothers with preeclampsia had lower absolute neutrophil and platelet counts throughout the first week of life, they were no more likely to have a platelet count <100,000 /mm3, and only more likely to be neutropenic at 24 and 72 hr of life compared to infants born to mothers without preeclampsia. After controlling for potential confounding variables, there was no increase in the odds of culture proven sepsis in infants born to mothers with preeclampsia (odds ratio 1.6, 95% confidence intervals 0.7-3.6, p = 0.3) compared to those infants born to mothers without preeclampsia. We conclude that very-low-birth-weight infants born to mothers with preeclampsia are not at increased risk of culture proven sepsis despite a reduction in absolute neutrophils.