Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29371067›Full record

ArticleThe Lancet. Infectious diseases2018

Chlamydia trachomatis and the risk of spontaneous preterm birth, babies who are born small for gestational age, and stillbirth: a population-based cohort study.

Joanne Reekie, Christine Roberts, David Preen, Jane S Hocking, Basil Donovan, James Ward, Donna B Mak, Bette Liu, Chlamydia and Reproductive Health Outcome Investigators

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Article in The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
6.2field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

34 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 64 citations in OpenAlex.

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  9. Current Evidence of Maternal Infection With Chlamydia trachomatis and Preeclampsia Risk.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.

Joanne ReekieThe Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Christine RobertsKolling Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
David PreenCentre for Health Services Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Jane S HockingSchool of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Basil DonovanThe Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
James WardDepartment of Infection and Immunity, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Donna B MakSchool of Medicine, The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA, Australia.
Bette LiuSchool of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: bette.liu@unsw.edu.au.
Chlamydia and Reproductive Health Outcome Investigators
UNSW Sydney · AUFlinders University · AUSydney Hospital · AUThe University of Notre Dame Australia · AUUniversity of Melbourne · AUUniversity of Sydney · AUUniversity of Western Australia · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChlamydia trachomatis is one of the most commonly diagnosed sexually transmitted infections worldwide, but reports in the medical literature of an association between genital chlamydia infection and adverse obstetric outcomes are inconsistent.

methodsThe Western Australia Data Linkage Branch created a cohort of women of reproductive age by linking records of birth registrations with the electoral roll for women in Western Australia who were born from 1974 to 1995. The cohort was then linked to both chlamydia testing records and the state perinatal registry for data on preterm births and other adverse obstetric outcomes. We determined associations between chlamydia testing, test positivity, and adverse obstetric outcomes using multivariate logistic regression analyses.

findingsFrom 2001 to 2012, 101 558 women aged 15 to 38 years had a singleton birth. Of these women, 3921 (3·9%) had a spontaneous preterm birth, 9762 (9·6% of 101 371 women with available data) had a baby who was small for gestational age, and 682 (0·7%) had a stillbirth. During their pregnancy, 21 267 (20·9%) of these women had at least one chlamydia test record, and 1365 (6·4%) of those tested were positive. Before pregnancy, 19 157 (18·9%) of these women were tested for chlamydia, of whom 1595 (8·3%) tested positive for chlamydia. Among all women with a test record, after adjusting for age, ethnicity, maternal smoking, and history of other infections, we found no significant association between a positive test for chlamydia and spontaneous preterm birth (adjusted odds ratio 1·08 [95% CI 0·91-1·28]; p=0·37), a baby who was small for gestational age (0·95 [0·85-1·07]; p=0·39), or stillbirth (0·93 [0·61-1·42]; p=0·74).

interpretationA genital chlamydia infection that is diagnosed and, presumably, treated either during or before pregnancy does not substantially increase a woman's risk of having a spontaneous preterm birth, having a baby who is small for gestational age, or having a stillbirth.

fundingAustralian National Health and Medical Research Council.

Indexed as

Infant, Low Birth WeightAdultChlamydia trachomatisCohort StudiesFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornLymphogranuloma VenereumPregnancyPregnancy Complications, InfectiousPremature BirthRisk AssessmentStillbirthWestern AustraliaYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID29371067
OpenAlexW2784327049

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.