Tuberculosis in pregnancy.

Tuberculosis has re-emerged as a serious health problem throughout the world. In the United States, the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic, increased numbers of foreigners from areas where tuberculosis is endemic, and lack of an adequate infrastructure to deal with the large increase of new cases have led to tuberculosis being a serious problem. Because of the long treatment time required, there is a significant risk of developing drug resistance in partially treated patients. Directly observed therapy is a cornerstone of treatment in both pregnant and nonpregnant patients. We need to think about those at risk for tuberculosis in pregnancy and screen the high-risk population. With the advent of satisfactory drugs to treat tuberculosis, the effects on pregnancy are not as serious as before. However, particularly in low socioeconomic populations, tuberculosis probably increases the prematurity and abortion rate.