THE PREVALENCE AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF ASYMPTOMATIC BACTERIURIA IN PREGNANCY AT ACE MEDICARE CLINICS, OTA, NIGERIA

Introduction and Objective: Nigeria has the 11th highest maternal mortality ratio worldwide Urinary tract infections are the most common bacterial infection in pregnancy. The precursor is usually a period of asymptomatic bacteriuria. Screening exercises are advocated to be routine only in communities with a prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria >2%. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women at the hospital in Ota, with a view to advocating routine screening. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which 188 consenting women were recruited using the systematic sampling method. Clean catch urine samples were taken for urinalysis and urine culture. The data was analyzed using SPSS 17.0. The chi-square test was used to explore associations between asymptomatic bacteriuria and the patients’ sociodemographic characteristics at a significant p-value of