Maternal mortality by COVID-19 in Brazil

Alex Sandro Rolland Souza,Melania Maria Ramos Amorim

doi:10.1590/1806-9304202100s100014

Alex Sandro Rolland Souza, Melania Maria Ramos Amorim

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9304202100s100014

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Abstract

Abstract SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus of severe acute respiratory syndrome, which causes a predominantly respiratory disease called COVID-19, quickly caused a pandemic, due to its high transmissibility, leaving a trail of deaths around the world. Initially, the pregnancy puerperal cycle was not associated with complications and mortality, only later was recognized as a risk group. As the disease progressed, the maternal mortality rate by COVID-19 increased, Brazil is responsible for an important portion. This rate may be even higher due to underreporting, difficulties in performing laboratorial tests and possible false negative results and depends on the health policies adopted by each region or country. It is important to carry out studies on maternal mortality so that the prognostic factors can be recognized and so avoid them.

Highlights

In late December 2019, World Health Organization (WHO) was notified that a new virus was circulating in Wuhan, in Hubei Province, China, which was called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2, causing a predominantly respiratory disease that was later named COVID-19.1 due to its high transmissibility, affecting a huge number of countries and territories, on March 11, 2020 the state of the pandemic was declared.[2]
The Brazilian Group of Studies on COVID-19 and Pregnancy has been publishing since April several articles in the national literature alerting the risk of maternal death by COVID-19.10-15 In a widely disseminated study analyzing data from the spreadsheet of the Sistema de Informações de Vigilância Epidemiológica da Gripe (SIVEP Gripe) (Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System), available from the Ministry of Health found that 978 pregnant women and puerperal were diagnosed with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) by COVID-19 and of these 124 died
This study found that black women were hospitalized in worse conditions, such as higher prevalence of dyspnea and lower oxygen saturation, in addition to a higher rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and assisted mechanical ventilation, and a risk of death almost twice as high in black women when compared to white women.[13]

Summary

Introduction

In late December 2019, World Health Organization (WHO) was notified that a new virus was circulating in Wuhan, in Hubei Province, China, which was called SARS-CoV-2, causing a predominantly respiratory disease that was later named COVID-19.1 due to its high transmissibility, affecting a huge number of countries and territories, on March 11, 2020 the state of the pandemic was declared.[2]SARS-CoV-2 is a beta-coronavirus, the seventh coronavirus to infect the human species,[3] and it is not the most lethal virus discovered, but it presents a very high morbidity and mortality potential, as for more than one million people lost their lives.[3,4] Due to several problems, among which the potential transmission, the lack of preparation to combat, mainly hospital supplies and intensive care beds, and the politicization of the disease by governments of several countries.

Results

Conclusion