Study: COVID-19-infected pregnant women at higher risk for complications
By (0)
A new study links higher risk for health complications for pregnant women and their babies to COVID-19, including high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia and preterm delivery. Photo courtesy of Max Pixel/Pixabay
April 22 (UPI) Pregnant women with COVID-19 are at increased risk for complications, such as high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia and preterm delivery, compared to those without the disease, a study published Thursday by JAMA Pediatrics found.
Expecting mothers with the virus are 76% more likely to develop pre-eclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, and nearly 60% more likely to have premature babies, compared to uninfected women, the data showed.
“This is a great study,” says physician, epidemiologist, and public health specialist Nathalie Auger of the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, who was not involved with the research. “They followed women through pregnancy, which is a really great design, and helped confirm the previous studies that are much easier to critique.”
Many studies have linked pregnancy to worse COVID-19 outcomes, but they have either included too few participants to draw firm conclusions, or have relied on health records that women agree to share after the fact. These registries tend to lack details such as when in pregnancy a woman got infected. They also attract sicker patients, which could make the effects of COVID-19 look worse than they actually are.
Pregnant women with Covid face MUCH higher risks: Mothers-to-be were 20 times more likely to die before giving birth and their infants may have to spend more time in NICUs, study suggests
Researchers compared 706 pregnant women who had contracted COVID-19 and 1,424 pregnant women without the disease from 18 countries
Infected mothers-to-be had a 76% higher risk of preeclampsia - high blood pressure in pregnancy - and were 59% more likely to give birth prematurely
Expectant women with COVID-19 were five times more likely to be admitted to ICUs and 22 times more likely to die
Fever and shortness of breath were linked to 2.56 greater risk of maternal complications and 4.97 times higher risk of complications for infants
Print
A study of more than 2,000 pregnant women from dozens of hospitals around the world has found that those with COVID-19 saw a significantly higher risk of death and of complications for themselves or their newborns.
The study, published Thursday in JAMA Pediatrics, underscores that pregnancy is a major risk factor for complications involving COVID-19 one that should be considered alongside the likes of obesity and asthma and could help persuade more women to line up for vaccinations.
The new report adds to a growing body of evidence “that will hopefully tip the scales towards more people getting vaccinated,” said Dr. Ilina Pluym, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at UCLA who was not involved in the research.
Pregnancy increases risk of COVID-19 complications for women and their babies lookout.co - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lookout.co Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.