Adverse Neonatal Outcomes Up for COVID-19-Positive Parturients

TUESDAY, Oct. 12, 2021 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19-positive parturients have increased odds of composite adverse neonatal outcomes and overall adverse outcomes, according to a study published online Oct. 10 in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine.

Linda Harel, M.D., from Tel Aviv University in Israel, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of parturients diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 26 and Sept. 30, 2020. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were examined by comparing COVID-19-negative, asymptomatic COVID-19, and symptomatic COVID-19 parturients.

Overall, 2,299 COVID-19 negative and 172 COVID-19-positive parturients delivered during the study period. The researchers found that gestational diabetes mellitus occurred less often in COVID-19-negative versus COVID-19-positive parturients. Women who were COVID-19-positive had no significant increase in cesarean delivery; there was no significant between-group difference seen in the incidence of preterm deliveries. Only one of 172 COVID-19-positive cases needed mechanical ventilation; there were no maternal deaths. No cases of severe neonatal asphyxia or neonatal death occurred. Composite maternal adverse outcomes showed a trend toward increasing incidence in COVID-19-positive women, with increasing incidence from healthy to asymptomatic to symptomatic women (11.3 to 13.8 to 19.6 percent, respectively). Comparing COVID-19-positive to COVID-19-negative parturients, the adjusted odds ratio for composite neonatal adverse outcomes was 2.1, with corresponding increasing incidence (3.5 to 6.0 to 8.9 percent, respectively); for overall composite adverse outcomes, the adjusted odds ratio was 1.6, with corresponding increasing incidence (13 to 16.4 to 25 percent, respectively).

“Our findings support the importance of vaccinating all pregnant women at all stages of pregnancy,” a coauthor said in a statement.

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