Newborns of Covid-19 mothers at high health risk, says study

Studying at Mynei Heshua Medical Center in Israel, assessing 2,471 women in the third trimester of their pregnancy, close to their delivery, researchers found “significant differences” for symptomatic COVID positive patients, including higher rates of gestational diabetes, Includes low white blood cell count. and heavy bleeding during delivery, while respiratory complications were observed in their babies.

Scientists found COVID-19 in the third trimester of pregnancy, “once asymptomatic patients, at lower rates than expected, has clinical implications.

“Our analysis found that there was no significant increase in caesarean delivery among women who were COVID-19 positive and the incidence of preterm delivery was not significantly different between the three groups (healthy, COVID positive asymptomatic, COVID positive symptomatic). Most of the pregnancy and delivery outcomes were similar between the Covid-19-positive and -negative parturients (a woman who gave birth), said lead author Dr. Elior Eliassi.

“However, there were significant differences between COVID-19-positive and healthy controls, including higher rates of GDM (gestational diabetes), low lymphocyte counts (white blood cell count), significantly lower, postpartum hemorrhage. (bleeding during birth), and neonatal respiratory complications,” Eliasi said, adding that the findings support the importance of vaccination to all pregnant women at all stages of pregnancy.

The study looked at hospital births between 26 March and 30 September 2020. A total of 93 percent of the women admitted to the labor ward during this period were found to be negative for COVID-19. Of the Covid-19-positive patients, 67% were asymptomatic.

On average, the risk of adverse outcomes events was 13.8% higher for asymptomatic COVID patients and 19.6% higher for those symptomatic patients.

“More data are needed to better characterize differences between pregnancy outcomes potentially related to different viral characteristics (subtypes, viral load), patient epigenetics or other factors in certain populations,” the authors said in the study. ” “In addition, the effects of maternal infection on the fetus remain to be further investigated in the context of both symptomatic maternal illness and vertical viral transmission, the scientists said.