POLIOMYELITIS IN PREGNANCY12

Abstract

A study of 75 cases of poliomyelitis in pregnancy occurring in Minnesota in 1946 is presented. Analyses of the data show: 1. There is no evidence of a greater severity of the infection among pregnant women than among a comparable group of nonpregnant married women simultaneously attacked. 2. The attack rate among pregnant women is higher than among an estimated control group of nonpregnant married women. 3. The higher attack rate in pregnancy cannot be explained on the basis of greater degree of exposure to either recognized or subclinical apparent infection. 4. Of the 75 cases in pregnancy, there was a slight concentration (and especially of serious cases) in the second to fifth month. 5. There was a dominance of male fetuses among these patients, especially those attacked in the early stages of pregnancy. 6. No significant relationship could be demonstrated between the severity of the disease in those who survived and the onset of labor. 7. Among the children born of this series the rate of congenital abnormalities was not unduly high.