XXXX in pregnancy: prospective study of 1739 cases.

@entity1 @entity992 @entity6079 @entity4091 @entity281
In a joint prospective study in Germany and the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1993, 1373 @entity1 who had @entity992 and 366 who had @entity4091 during the first 36 weeks of gestation were followed up. 9 cases of @entity992 were identified, all occurring after @entity992 during the first 20 weeks of gestation. The highest risk (2.0%) was observed between 13-20 weeks gestation, with 7 affected @entity1 identified among 351 pregnancies (95% CI of risk 0.8-4.1%). Only 2 cases of @entity992 were identified among 472 pregnancies in which @entity992 occurred before 13 weeks (observed risk 0.4%, 95% CI 0.05-1.5%). Herpes zoster in infancy was reported in 10 @entity1 whose mothers had had @entity992 in pregnancy. No @entity1 with clinical evidence of @entity281 were born to the 366 @entity1 with @entity4091 in pregnancy (upper 95% confidence limit of estimated risk 1.0%). Varicella-zoster-specific IgM antibody was found at birth in 4 of 16 (25%) @entity1 with clinical manifestations of @entity281 and persistent specific IgG antibody in 5 of 7 @entity1 tested. The corresponding rates in asymptomatic @entity1 whose mothers had @entity992 were 12% (76/615) and 7% (22/335) respectively. No serological evidence of @entity281 was found in @entity1 who mothers had @entity4091 in pregnancy. In 97 pregnant @entity1 , @entity992 occurred after post-exposure prophylaxis with @entity6079 immunoglobulin. No cases of @entity6079 in infancy occurred in this group. Our estimates provide a sound basis for counselling @entity1 with @entity992 in pregnancy. Although the risk of @entity992 is small, the outcome for the affected @entity1 is so serious that a reliable method of prenatal diagnosis would be valuable. In the long term, prevention of @entity992 would be an option if a safe and effective vaccine were to become routinely available.
