Laboratoire de biostatistiques d’épidémiologie et de recherche clinique, Service des urgences médicales pédiatriques, Hôpital d’enfants, Université Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
Introduction: Premature rupture of membranes represents a major infectious risk for the mother and the fetus; it constitutes a risk factor for chorioamniotitis, puerperal and neonatal sepsis. Reactive protein C is a biological marker widely used in the detection of maternal and fetal infections, in particular in the early diagnosis of chorioamniotitis. The aim of this study is to assess the role of CRP in the diagnosis of chorioamniotitis, and to correlate it with the prediction of neonatal infection and thus review the arguments concerning its usefulness. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study of patients collected from the Kangaroo unit at the Souissi maternity hospital in Rabat between March 2018 and October 2018, including all parturients having delivered vaginally to an asymptomatic newborn in a premature rupture of membranes context. Clinical and biological monitoring, in particular with reactive protein C in mothers and newborns, was carried out. Results: 238 patients were admitted to the kangaroo service for delivery in premature rupture of the membranes context. In the positive maternal CRP group, 8 women had clinical chorioamiotitis, while no case of clinical chorioamniotitis was recorded in the negative CRP group. In the positive neonatal CRP group, all mothers had a positive CRP while in the neonatal negative CRP group 37.6% of the women had a positive CRP with a P <0.001. Conclusion: Our study suggests that a high rate of maternal CRP before childbirth is a good predictor of chorioamniotitis and neonatal infection.