Echogenic intracardiac focus in fetus and association with maternal respiratory tract infection in Shanghai, China

Abstract

Purpose of investigation: To evaluate the association between fetal echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) and maternal respiratory tract infections (RTI) during gestation. Materials and Methods: Fetal echocardiography was performed on 1,720 pregnant women (1,723 fetuses), and 205 of them showed evidence of fetal EIF. Other 245 pregnancies without fetal EIF were selected randomly as a control group. Comparison was undertaken to evaluate the difference between these two groups, and the possible association between EIF and maternal RTL Results: EIF was present in 11.9% of the examined fetuses, and the presence of fetal EIF with maternal RTI was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those without RTI. Multivariate logistic regression correction of RTI showed that the likelihood of EIF was 49 fold higher in pregnant women with RTI than without it (odds ratio [OR] = 49.958, 95% confidence interval [CI], 25.973-96.092,/? < 0.05). Conclusions: Fetal EIF is suggested to be associated with maternal RTI during gestation in the present study population.