Is maternal alcohol use a risk factor for early-onset sepsis in premature newborns?

Because chronic alcohol abuse alters immune defenses and increases infection in adults, we tested the hypothesis that maternal alcohol use during pregnancy would increase the risk of sepsis in very low birth weight (VLBW) premature newborns. We performed a case-controlled analysis of VLBW newborns born at Grady Memorial Hospital (Atlanta, GA). Alcohol exposure, as the predictive variable, was assessed by maternal self-report. The outcome variables were early-onset and multiple late-onset sepsis. Univariate analysis with Fisher exact test and multivariate analysis with the use of binary logistic regression were performed. Early-onset sepsis was 15-fold higher in the alcohol-exposed group (n=20) compared with findings for the matched control group (n=168) [alcohol-exposed group, 10%, vs. control group, 0.6%: odds ratio (OR) 6.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.7-17.1), P < or = .05]. Early-onset sepsis in the alcohol+cocaine-exposed group (n=64) did not differ from findings for the control group. The prevalence of multiple late-onset sepsis did not differ among the exposure groups. Logistic regression analysis, controlling for chorioamnionitis and premature prolonged rupture of membranes, demonstrated an independent, increased risk of early-onset sepsis with alcohol exposure [OR 16 (95% CI, 1.2-210), P < or = .05]. We conclude that alcohol exposure significantly increased the risk of early-onset sepsis in this group of VLBW newborns. The effects of maternal alcohol abuse during pregnancy on the risk of infection in the VLBW newborn require further analysis.