Prevalence and Characteristics of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria among Pregnant Women in Eastern Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Asymptomatic Bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy is not an uncommon clinical condition. It could lead to pyelonephritis and adverse obstetric outcomes. Regional and national difference in its prevalence exist, which are shown to be influenced by socio-demographic, medical and obstetric factors. Aim: The study aimed at finding the prevalence of ASB in pregnancy and to identify its characteristics in Eastern Saudi Arabia. An insight into the current extent of this problem was sought to be established. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three hospitals of Al-Ahsa and Al-Khobar cities of Saudi Arabia. Semi-quantitative urine culture was done to identify ASB. Identification of bacterial isolates from urine culture and their antibiotic sensitivity testing was done by VlTEK 2 Compact bacterial identification system for Gram positive cocci and by standard bacteriological methods for Gram negative bacilli. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire. Results: Of the 449 urine samples, 64 (14.25%) grew bacteria in significant counts. Streptococcus agalactiae was the most frequent cause of ASB (32.81%) followed by Escherichia coli (25%). Other common bacterial isolates were: Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.19%), Enterococcus faecalis (12.5%) and Staphylococcus saprophyticus (6.25%). The relatively higher number of women in the age group of 30-34 years (16.67%, p-value: 0.05), in the third trimester of pregnancy (15.47%, p-value: 0.03) and with a history of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) (18.18%, p-value: 0.03) were found to have ASB. No significant association of ASB was seen with hypertension, diabetes melitus or gestational diabetes. Conclusion: The prevalence of symptomless bacteriuria in pregnancy is relatively higher in Eastern Saudi Arabia. This is a matter of concern as affected women could develop adverse complications later. Relatively greater prevalence of ASB among pregnant women in our study could be attributed to greater number of subjects from public hospitals, presumably belonging to lower strata of society, multiple gravidity and personal hygiene.