Evaluation of pregnancy as a risk factor in the outcomes of influenza A (H1N1)/2009 in women of childbearing age

the aim of this study was to verify whether pregnancy was a risk factor for death in influenza a (h1n1)/2009 infection. we compared the case-fatality rates for pandemic influenza among non-pregnant women of childbearing age and pregnant women, besides investigating other factors that differentiated the groups in relation to the outcomes. the data were collected from the national information system on diseases of notification (sinan), of the ministry of health. the study used cases with laboratory confirmation and included 1,861 women from 10 to 49 years of age, of whom 352 were pregnant. the case-fatality rate during the 2009 pandemic was 4.5% for pregnant women and 6.4% for non-pregnant women (p = 0.197). logistic regression did not show an association between pregnancy and death (or = 0.7; 95%ci: 0.41-1.21). however, there were significant differences between the two groups in relation to mean age, treatment with oseltamivir, schooling, and presence of other risk factors.