Researchers from the University of Virginia Health System in the US found that a single dose of the antibiotic Azithromycin can protect mothers from the risk of sepsis and death during vaginal delivery.

The comprehensive international study published its results in the New England Journal of Medicine in early February, and was written about by EurekAlert.

Previous studies revealed that the antibiotic "Azithromycin" protects mothers who gave birth by caesarean section, while this study showed that it also reduces the risk of death for mothers who give birth through natural childbirth, and reduces the occurrence of sepsis that may lead to a fatal infection that affects the whole body.

Sepsis

Sepsis, also known as sepsis, is a life-threatening complication of the infection. It occurs when the body's immune system reacts sharply to the infection, leading to damage to the body itself.

Sepsis can occur as a result of problems spreading from other parts of the body, such as chest infections, urinary tract infections, cuts and bites.

Infection - septicemia in particular - accounts for 10% of maternal deaths before, during and after childbirth, placing it among the top five causes of maternal death worldwide.

Dr. William A. Petrie, a research physician in the Department of Infectious Diseases and International Health at the University of Virginia Medical School, says that a single dose of the antibiotic "Azithromycin" reduces sepsis and death in half of mothers during childbirth.

He adds that the simplicity of this intervention allows it to be used in various institutions around the world to protect mothers during childbirth.

More than 29,000 women from low- or middle-income countries volunteered for the study.

Half of the women took azithromycin and the other half took a safe placebo.

Among the participants who received the placebo treatment (14,637 women), 2.4% of them experienced septicemia or death during the six weeks following childbirth, while 1.6% of the women who received azithromycin (14,526 women) experienced septicemia.

The difference between the two groups was clear to the researchers from the start, which made them end the study early.

Caesarean delivery

The antibiotic did not provide a similar benefit for children, according to the researchers.

But it also did not harm them, which makes Azithromycin a tool for protecting the mother before, during and after childbirth.

It is worth noting that azithromycin is recommended for cesarean delivery in the United States and elsewhere.

According to the World Health Organization, women die as a result of complications that may occur during pregnancy and childbirth.

Most of these complications that occur during pregnancy can be prevented or treated, and there are other complications that may occur before pregnancy and worsen during it, especially if the mother does not receive adequate care.

The major complications that may lead to 75% of maternal deaths are:

  • severe bleeding

  • Infection (often occurring after childbirth).

  • High blood pressure during pregnancy.

  • Complications that occur during childbirth.

  • The rest of the deaths are related to infections such as malaria or chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.