versão On-line ISSN 1678-4464
Cad. Saúde Pública vol.28 no.10 Rio de Janeiro Out. 2012
Dengue infection and maternal mortality
Infecção por dengue e mortalidade materna
Wiwanitkit House, Bangkok, Thailand
Dear Sir, the recent publication on dengue infection and maternal mortality is very interesting1. Mota et al.1 (p. 1057) concluded that "dengue infection during pregnancy can negatively impact its outcome and increase maternal mortality". Indeed, this finding is not new and has been reported elsewhere, a good example of which is a study from Sudan2. However, it is interesting to note that study findings are generally similar regardless of the setting and whether the study area is an endemic or non-endemic area for dengue. A recent meta-analysis study showed that "there is a risk of vertical transmission, but whether maternal dengue infection is a significant risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes is inconclusive"3 (p. 107). An important point that is generally missing in previous studies is the effects of other confounding conditions on pregnancy outcomes.
1. Mota AKM, Miranda Filho AL, Saraceni V, Koifman S. Mortalidade materna e incidência de dengue na Região Sudeste do Brasil: estudo ecológico no período 2001-2005. Cad Saúde Pública 2012; 28:1057-66. [ Links ]
2. Adam I, Jumaa AM, Elbashir HM, Karsany MS. Maternal and perinatal outcomes of dengue in Port Sudan, Eastern Sudan. Virol J 2010; 7:153. [ Links ]
3. Pouliot SH, Xiong X, Harville E, Paz-Soldan V, Tomashek KM, Breart G, et al. Maternal dengue and pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review. Obstet Gynecol Surv 2010; 65:107-18. [ Links ]
Wiwanitkit House, Bangkhae, Bangkok, Thailand.
Submitted on 06/Jun/2012
Approved on 18/Jul/2012