Respiratory diseases in pregnancy c 3 Series editor: A J Knox Tuberculosis in pregnancy and the puerperium

The occurrence of pregnancy in patients with tuberculosis is increasing in developed coun-tries as a result of changes in the case mix and age distribution of cases of tuberculosis, with an increasing proportion coming from ethnic minority groups. In 1988 over 50 % of cases in England and Wales were in the white ethnic group. Most of the white women were aged over 50 years, with only a minority of cases in the 15–40 age range in whom pregnancy is most likely.1 Since 1988 the proportion of white ethnic cases has declined, reaching 43% in 19932 and down to 37 % in 1998,3 with still only a minority of cases of child bearing age. An increasing proportion—and now th