Study U .: Pregnant women with severe symptoms of COVID-19 at higher risk of complications, death

SALT LAKE CITY – Pregnant women who developed severe symptoms of COVID-19 were at higher risk of pregnancy complications and even death compared to women who had no symptoms or mild or moderate symptoms, new study finds conducted by a researcher from the University of Utah.

The study was published Friday, in time to be presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine annual meeting. Dr Torri Metz, associate professor and sub-specialist in maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Utah Health, was the lead author of the study.

The study focused on a group of more than 1,200 pregnant women in 33 hospitals in 14 states, with data drawn from March 1 to July 31, 2020. In total, nearly half were asymptomatic, while 27% were asymptomatic. reported mild symptoms and 14% moderate symptoms. symptoms. Another 8% had severe symptoms and 4% had critical symptoms.

The death rate of the COVID-19 study in women was 0.3%, which would equate to 3 deaths per 1,000 or 300 per 100,000. The latest known rate of 17.4 deaths per 100,000 among women pregnant without COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s a lot higher than you might expect at the start and it’s definitely worrying,” Metz said. “During pregnancy, we see the same thing that we see in non-pregnant people in that there is an increase in death rates during this period.”

According to the study, those who tended to experience the worst symptoms were older, had a higher body mass index, and were more likely to have underlying health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart failure. hypertension.

Women most likely to suffer from severe consequences from the coronavirus were more likely to die or have serious complications like premature birth, postpartum hemorrhage or heavy bleeding after childbirth, high blood pressure during pregnancy or a cesarean.

Metz said the study could be considered reassuring for women with mild or moderate symptoms of COVID-19, who made up the majority of those with symptoms. Having said that, there is no way to know someone’s outcome in advance.

“When people get COVID-19, we don’t know how bad it will be and we have no way to stop it from becoming serious,” she said. “So I think it’s still very important for pregnant patients to minimize exposure and wear a mask at all times.”

This story will be updated.