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Effect of Latent Tuberculosis Infection on Assisted Reproductive Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a common cause of infertility in humans, especially in regions with high TB prevalence However, the impact of latent TB infection (LTBI ) on pregnancy outcomes following assisted reproduction in patients with infertility remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess significant differences in pregnancy outcomes after assisted reproduction between infertile patients with and without LTBI.
Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases published between their inception and January 1, 2024 for studies about infertility, latent TB and pregnancy outcome. Outcomes of interest were pregnancy outcomes following assisted reproduction, including clinical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate and live birth rate. Meta-analysis were conducted using a fixed-effects model.
Results: Four studies met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. The miscarriage rate was significantly higher in the LTBI group than in the non-LTBI group (odds ratio [OR], 1.1 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.31, P= 0.049). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of clinical pregnancy rate (OR, 0.98 [95%CI, 0.91-1.06], P=0.692) and live birth rate (OR, 0.96 [95%CI 0.88-1.04], P=0.305). Sensitivity analysis of miscarriage rate measures demonstrated robust results.
Conclusions: Infertile patients with LTBI who underwent assisted reproduction had significantly higher miscarriage rate than those without LTBI. The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were slightly low in the LTBI group; however, these differences were not statistically significant. This suggests that LTBI may increase the risk of miscarriage in infertile women undergoing assisted reproduction.
Funding: This work was supported by “the Capital’s Funds for Health Improvement and Research” [grant number 2022- 2G-4 0910], “National Key Research and Development Program of China” [grant number 2023YFC2705504], “Cohort Projects of Peking University Third Hospital” [grant number BYSYDL2019005], and “Key Clinical Projects of Peking University Third Hospital” [grant number BYSYZD2022014].
Declaration of Interest: There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
Sheng, Zikang and Zeng, Lin and Zhang, Yue and Chi, Hongbin and Sun, Yongchang and Li, Rong and Gai, Xiaoyan, Effect of Latent Tuberculosis Infection on Assisted Reproductive Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5051989 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5051989
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