Prevalence of urinary tract infections in pregnancy in rural Andean communities of Peru

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can adversely affect pregnancy, yet their prevalence in rural communities remains poorly understood. Objective: For an initial evaluation of the UTI burden among pregnant women in the San Marcos province of rural Andean Peru, we aimed to determine the UTI prevalence in the region. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a subsample of 250 pregnant women enrolled in the Peruvian Andes Multigenerational High Altitude Cohort (ALTO) from 2021 to 2022. Methods: Structured questionnaires were administered to collect demographic, socioeconomic, maternal health and behavioural data. Urine samples were obtained for dipstick analyses. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between risk factors and UTI. Results: The study participants had a median age of 28 years (IQR: 22–33). A UTI prevalence of 27.6% (CI: 22.4%–33.5%) was observed, surpassing estimates from other regions of Peru. Notably, nearly all pregnant women (96%) utilised antenatal care (ANC) services at least once, primarily visiting health centres and community health posts where doctors and obstetricians were the main care providers. In this population, none of the risk factors exhibited statistically significant associations with UTIs. Conclusion: Our study highlights the prevalence of UTIs among Andean pregnant women in San Marcos and underscores the critical need for routine UTI screening and treatment during ANC visits as recommended by national guidelines. While accessibility to ANC services is not a barrier in this region, enhancing the availability and quality of UTI screening services is crucial.