Tuberculosis in Pregnancy

Tuberculosis (TB) is a very common disease worldwide including India. Recent years have seen a resurgence of the disease and incidence is increasing day by day with about six million new cases a year. It accounts for 30% of all TB cases in the world (WHO 1999). It is estimated that almost one half of the population of India has TB and that one person dies every minute from TB. The disease is responsible for killing more women of reproductive age than all the combined causes of maternal mortality. It rises to nearly one-third of the female infertility in the country. Genital TB affects about 12% of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and represents 15–20% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Tuberculin test is a safe and useful method for screening tuberculosis infection in pregnancy and should be used in women with symptoms and signs of tuberculosis. The indications for treatment of active tuberculosis in a pregnant women are the same as for a non-pregnant women. Treatment should be initiated without delay. Tuberculosis in pregnancy is as common as in the non-pregnant women. Better results are obtained in women known to have tuberculosis before the onset of pregnancy and who have been treated, as compared to untreated patients with active tuberculosis.