Clinicians caring for pregnant women should watch for signs of TB infection, British experts have warned.
A new study has found that pregnant women may be about 60 per cent more likely than other people to succumb to the infection.
The research, conducted by the Health Protection Agency and the University of East Anglia, found increased rates of infection diagnosed among women in the six months after giving birth.
The disease affects about 90 people in a million in the UK – but the rate among new mothers was more than 150 per million, according to the report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Researchers studied some 192,000 women recorded on a GP database over 12 years in the UK.
Researcher Dr Dominik Zenner, of the Health Protection Agency, said pregnant women are more vulnerable than others to infection.
He said: "The reason why more post natal women were diagnosed with TB than pregnant women could be because the TB infection wasn’t picked up during pregnancy.
"We hope these findings will encourage those looking after pregnant women to consider possible TB infection in women presenting with symptoms to avoid delays in diagnosis."
Professor Ibrahim Abubakar, of the University of East Anglia, said: "This study clearly shows that future guidance to healthcare workers, especially midwives and health visitors, should take into account that the risk of TB may be increased during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth.
"Those looking after pregnant and post-natal women should be encouraged to look out for the signs and symptoms of the disease, particularly among women in high risk groups such as immigrants from countries with a high burden of TB, as early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is essential."
Risk of tuberculosis in pregnancy: A national, primary care based cohort and self-controlled case series study. Zenner, D. et al. 2011. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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