Abstract

A REVIEW ON MANAGEMENT OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Angel Ros Jeesan*, Breeze M. Babu, Dhilna Augustus, Divin Prince and Aji Varghese

ABSTRACT

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in pregnant women and pose a great therapeutic challenge, since the risk of serious complications in both the mother and child are higher. Pregnancy is a state associated with physiological, structural and functional urinary tract changes which promote ascending infections from the urethra. It is necessary to examine the patterns of prescribing oral antibiotics during pregnancy and to determine whether women are more or less likely to receive specific types of antibiotics during pregnancy. The antibiotic chosen should have a good safety profile on mother and child. There are a large number of drugs that are used to treat urinary tract infections and most of them are tested in non-pregnant women. It is well known that antibiotic use is associated with increasedantimicrobial resistance and therefore measures have been taken to minimise antibiotic use for UTI prevention. There are several natural treatment options available as potential complementary therapies to improve health outcomes in patients with UTIs.

Keywords: Urinary tract infection, Escherichia coli, Antimicrobial resistance.