Risks of COVID-19 for Pregnant Women and Their Babies Described in Global Research Journal

Pregnant women remain at increased risk of severe COVID-19, and their risk of being admitted to intensive care or needing invasive ventilation is higher than non-pregnant women of childbearing age with the virus , according to an ongoing global study.

Pregnant women with COVID-19 are at increased risk of severe COVID-19, especially if they are from ethnic minorities or have pre-existing conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, concludes the research conducted by the University of Birmingham and World Health Organization (WHO).

Their research, published today (March 11) in the BMJ, is part of a unique living systematic review and data meta-analysis, which began in April 2020, and follows the researchers’ first publication in the BMJ last august.

This latest publication details the researchers’ analysis of the results of 192 studies – or 115 more studies than those included in their August publication – on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and their babies.

The examination found that one in 10 pregnant and recently pregnant women visiting or admitted to hospital for any reason had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Overall, 339 pregnant women with confirmed COVID-19 died from any cause (0.02% of a total of 41,664 women involved in 59 studies). Overall rates of stillbirth and neonatal mortality are low in women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, according to the review.

The most common clinical symptoms of COVID-19 in pregnant women were fever (40%) and cough (41%), although compared to non-pregnant women of childbearing age, pregnant and recently pregnant women with COVID -19 were more likely to be asymptomatic.

Increased maternal age, a high body mass index, a non-white ethnicity, and pre-existing comorbidity, including chronic hypertension and diabetes, have been identified as risk factors for pregnant women to develop severe COVID-19. Although there is emerging evidence from the review that pregnancy-specific conditions such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes may be associated with severe covid-19, the authors indicate that more data is needed to assess further. Robustly the association between risk factors specific to pregnancy and COVID 19 related results.

The first author, Dr John Allotey, of the WHO Collaborating Center for Global Women’s Health, based at the University of Birmingham, said: “Pregnant women should be considered a high risk group, in particular. those identified as having risk factors, for severe COVID-19 on the basis of our Mothers should also be reassured that the risks to their babies are very low. ”

Professor Shakila Thangaratinam, corresponding author and co-director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Global Women’s Health at the University of Birmingham, added: “In the current situation, where evidence is rapidly being produced, our systematic review comes alive. – supported by robust methods and continuously updated at regular intervals – is crucial for addressing important research questions and for shaping health policy and clinical decision-making.

“Pregnant women and healthcare professionals will need to consider the additional risks pregnant women with COVID-19 face when making decisions such as taking vaccines if they are offered to prevent COVID-19 and planning for management during pregnancy.

• Journalists can arrange interviews by contacting Emma McKinney, Media Relations Officer, University of Birmingham, on +44 7815607157. You can also contact the after-hours press office on +44 (0) 7789 921165 .
• The University of Birmingham is ranked among the top 100 institutions in the world and its work brings people from all over the world, including researchers and teachers, and more than 6,500 international students from nearly 150 countries to Birmingham.
• Allotey et al (February 2021). “ Clinical manifestations, risk factors, and maternal and perinatal outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 during pregnancy: a living systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ.
• The authors of this research are affiliated with:
  1. University of Birmingham, UK

  2. WHO Collaborating Center for Global Women’s Health, based at the University of Birmingham, UK

  3. Ramón y Cajal University Hospital (IRYCIS), Spain

  4. Epidemiology and public health CIBER (CIBERESP), Spain

  5. UNDP / UNFPA / UNICEF / WHO / World Bank Special Program for Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

  6. Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China

  7. Guangzhou Medical University, China

  8. Amsterdam University Medical Center, the Netherlands

  9. Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom

  10. Barts Health NHS Trust, UK

  11. University of London, United Kingdom

  12. Catalan Health Service, Spain

  13. Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, United States

  14. Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom

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