Yost N P, Cox S M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75390-9032, USA.
Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2000 Dec;43(4):759-67. doi: 10.1097/00003081-200012000-00006.
There are many conditions, such as non-white race, young maternal age, and uterine malformations, that have been associated with preterm birth that are not amenable to intervention. Maternal cervical and intrauterine infection and inflammation may have a primary causative role in a fraction of the cases of preterm birth and preterm rupture of membranes and may also interact adversely with a variety of maternal (shortened cervix, smoking) and fetal factors (polyhydramnios, multifetal gestation) to decrease the threshold to preterm birth. Further studies are needed to better-define the link between various maternal microbial colonizations and preterm delivery, with the possibility to establish new screening and treatment recommendations. Because of the innumerable causes of preterm birth, a new strategy of targeted treatment of cervical or vaginal infections may lead to only a modest reduction in the incidence of this devastating problem of modern obstetrics.
有许多情况，如非白种人、产妇年龄小和子宫畸形，与早产相关且无法进行干预。产妇宫颈和宫内感染及炎症可能在部分早产和胎膜早破病例中起主要致病作用，还可能与多种产妇因素（宫颈缩短、吸烟）和胎儿因素（羊水过多、多胎妊娠）产生不良相互作用，从而降低早产阈值。需要进一步研究以更好地界定各种产妇微生物定植与早产之间的联系，有可能制定新的筛查和治疗建议。由于早产原因众多，针对宫颈或阴道感染的靶向治疗新策略可能只会使现代产科这一毁灭性问题的发生率略有降低。
