Coronavirus disease 2019 and pregnancy

Abstract

We appreciate the interest in our work and the opportunity to respond to the issues raised by Volpato et al.1Volpato F. dos Santos L.G. dos Santos E.M. Coronavirus disease 2019 and its controversial results during pregnancy.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021; 224: 419-420Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (1) Google Scholar Since the online publication of our paper on February 24, 2020,2Rasmussen S.A. Smulian J.C. Lednicky J.A. Wen T.S. Jamieson D.J. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and pregnancy: what obstetricians need to know.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020; 222: 415-426Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (644) Google Scholar data from many additional studies have been published, addressing the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the pregnant woman and her fetus. For example, updates on surveillance data from the United States on COVID-19 and pregnancy were recently published: these data show that among over 400,000 women of childbearing age with symptomatic COVID-19, pregnant women were more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit, to require invasive ventilation, to receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and to die than nonpregnant women.3Zambrano L.D. Ellington S. Strid P. et al.Update: characteristics of symptomatic women of reproductive age with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by pregnancy status—United States, January 22–October 3, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020; 69: 1641-1647Crossref PubMed Google Scholar Infants born to these women also seem to be at increased risk: among nearly 4000 infants born to women with COVID-19 during pregnancy in 16 jurisdictions in the United States, infants born to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)–infected women were more likely to be born preterm (12.9% were preterm, compared with a national estimate of 10.2%).4Woodworth K.R. Olsen E.O. Neelam V. et al.Birth and infant outcomes following laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy—SET-NET, 16 jurisdictions, March 29–October 14, 2020.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020; 69: 1635-1640Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar These data are consistent with a large systematic review that suggests that infants born to mothers with COVID-19 are at a 3-fold increased risk of preterm birth and of neonatal intensive care unit admission.5Allotey J. Stallings E. Bonet M. et al.Clinical manifestations, risk factors, and maternal and perinatal outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 in pregnancy: living systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ. 2020; 370: m3320Crossref PubMed Scopus (860) Google Scholar These findings emphasize the importance of implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures in pregnant women and the importance of collecting data on SARS-CoV-2–infected pregnant women and their infants. Coronavirus disease 2019 and its controversial results during pregnancyAmerican Journal of Obstetrics & GynecologyVol. 224Issue 4PreviewIt is with great interest that we read the article "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and pregnancy: what obstetricians need to know," written by Rasmussen et al.1 The article reported that, despite limited available data on the treatment of pregnant women with COVID-19, the serious clinical course of this disease might be avoided if the management of COVID-19 by healthcare professionals is based on the recommendations for the initial pregnancy care of women with severe acute respiratory syndrome or Middle East respiratory syndrome. Full-Text PDF