Maternal and early neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with Covid-19 in Duhok city

Abstract

Background and objectives: Global pandemic brought on by new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19). The virus's effects on pregnancy, the fetus, and the newborn are among the many unanswered questions.The study's objective is to assess the effects of COVID-19 during pregnancy on maternal and newborn outcomes. Methods: A cross sectional study design with retrospective information was used at the Obstetrics and Gynecology teaching hospital in Duhok city from 1st August 2020 to 1st August 2021. The study included 100 pregnant women all of whom were COVID-19-positive (by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) admitted to the hospital in the study period. Data were collected from patients’ medical files and case sheets including information about pregnancy, past history, delivery and intrapartum complication, and postnatal maternal and neonatal outcome. Results: The mean age of the pregnant women was 31.6 years ranging between 22-43 years. More than two thirds of them (70%) were multiparous. Nineteen percent of the involved women were admitted to intensive care units with a maternal death of 9%. Nearly, 60% of those pregnant women delivered by caesarian section. Neonatal outcomes were as follow, 29% preterm birth, 49.5% neonatal intensive care units admission, 9% intrauterine fetal death, 15.4% neonatal infection with Covid-19 and 5% neonatal death. Conclusions: Infection with COVID-19 during pregnancy could have adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Most significant effects include maternal death, intensive care unit admission, intrauterine fetal death, preterm birth, neonatal infection and death.