Neonatal Outcomes in Pregnant Women Infected with COVID-19 in Babol, North of Iran: A Retrospective Study with Short-Term Follow-Up.

Zahra Akbarian-Rad,Zinatossadat Bouzari,Mojgan Naeimi Rad,Farzin Sadeghi,Somayeh Alizadeh,Mahdi Sepidarkish,Soheil Ebrahimpour,Mohsen Haghshenas Mojaveri,Mostafa Javanian,Yousef Yahyapour,Faustino R Perez-Lopez

doi:10.1155/2021/9952701

Abstract

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of pregnant women and neonates suffering from COVID-19 increased. However, there is a lack of evidence on clinical characteristics and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19. We evaluated short-term outcomes (4 weeks postdischarge) and symptoms in neonates born to mothers infected with COVID-19. In this retrospective cohort study, we included all neonates born to pregnant women with COVID-19 admitted to Ayatollah Rohani Hospital, Babol, Iran, from February 10 to May 20, 2020. Clinical features, treatments, and neonatal outcomes were measured. Eight neonates were included in the current study. The mean gestational age and birth weight of newborns were 37 ± 3.19 weeks (30₊6-40) and 3077.50 ± 697.64 gr (1720-3900), respectively. Apgar score of the first and fifth minutes in all neonates was ≥8 and ≥9 out of 10, respectively. The most clinical presentations in symptomatic neonates were respiratory distress, tachypnea, vomiting, and feeding intolerance. This manifestation and high levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in three infants are common in neonatal sepsis. The blood culture in all of them was negative. They have been successfully treated with our standard treatment. Our pregnant women showed a pattern of clinical characteristics and laboratory results similar to those described for nonpregnant COVID-19 infection. This study found no evidence of intrauterine or peripartum transmission of COVID-19 from mother to her child. Furthermore, the long-term outcomes of neonates need more study.

Highlights

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is known to have originated from Wuhan, China, in December 2019 [1,2,3]
In a study identified in Turkey, maternal infection with COVID-19 increases the rate of pregnancy complications [8]
Though information is not enough on clinical features and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19, we assessed short-term outcomes (4 weeks after discharge) and symptoms among neonates born to mothers infected with COVID-19 at the end of the first regional peak of the outbreak

Summary

Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is known to have originated from Wuhan, China, in December 2019 [1,2,3]. This unique viral infection, officially known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), commonly causes severe human symptoms. In addition to the rapid spread of infection, the number of pregnant women and neonates with COVID-19 has . Evidence suggests that elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines during infection with COVID-19 and changes in the balance of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in pregnant women can cause pregnancy complications [9]. Though information is not enough on clinical features and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19, we assessed short-term outcomes (4 weeks after discharge) and symptoms among neonates born to mothers infected with COVID-19 at the end of the first regional peak of the outbreak

Methods

Results

Conclusion