@article {BrowneA96, author = {HE Browne and EA Bonney and LA McDowell and J Young and NAB Simpson}, title = {PP.55 Screening Women for Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Early Pregnancy May Reduce the Risk of Low Birth Weight}, volume = {98}, number = {Suppl 1}, pages = {A96--A96}, year = {2013}, doi = {10.1136/archdischild-2013-303966.332}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group}, abstract = {Introduction Anatomical changes in pregnancy predispose women to asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). Current NICE guidance in the UK advises that a mid-stream urine (MSU) sample should be offered in early pregnancy to screen for and treat ASB. Aims To investigate how many women currently have an MSU in early pregnancy (\<18 weeks gestation) in an inner-city maternity unit; to evaluate whether current screening practise affects pregnancy outcome. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study which examined notes of all delivered women who gave birth within a three-week period. Appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests were used to determine intergroup differences. Results 243 women delivered during this period. Although all had been booked before 18 weeks gestation, only 9\% (n = 22) had been screened for ASB. Of the unscreened population, 18\% (n = 40) subsequently developed a UTI in pregnancy, and these were more likely to deliver a LBW baby (18\% \<2500 g; OR 2.9, 95th CI 1.1{\textendash}7.9). The screened population had rates of LBW (4\%) which were the same as the unaffected cohort within the unscreened population (6\%). Conclusion These data suggest that a policy of not screening for ASB may increase the chance of LBW babies being born. Although other confounding variables were not controlled for in this study, the evidence would suggest a policy of screening for ASB remains a reasonable option in pregnancy. (supported by Cerebra).}, issn = {1359-2998}, URL = {https://fn.bmj.com/content/98/Suppl_1/A96.3}, eprint = {https://fn.bmj.com/content/98/Suppl_1/A96.3.full.pdf}, journal = {Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition} }