SALT LAKE CITY – Pregnant women who have developed severe symptoms of COVID-19 have a higher risk of pregnancy complications and even death compared to women who have not had mild or moderate symptoms or symptoms, according to a new study conducted by a University of Utah researcher. .
The good news, according to the study, is that most pregnant women who were studied did not have severe or critical effects of COVID-19; however, Dr. Torri Metz, an associate professor and subspecialist in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Utah Health, and lead author of the study, said it is still difficult to know why some pregnant women have developed severe symptoms over time. what others do not.
“(Adverse effects) appear to be predominantly limited to that severe and critical group, but we have no control over those who end up in that severe and critical group,” she said in a press briefing on Friday. “And since that represents 12% of our population, I think we need to take this into context to know that if pregnant women develop COVID-19, they are at risk of developing serious and critical illness. And if they do, they are at risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. ”
The study was launched on Friday in time to be presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. The researchers analyzed data from more than 1,200 pregnant women in 33 hospitals in 14 states from March 1 to July 31, 2020.
In total, almost half were asymptomatic, while 27% reported mild symptoms and 14% had moderate symptoms. Another 8% had severe symptoms and 4% had critical symptoms.
The researchers found that those who tended to have more severe symptoms were older, had a higher body mass index, and were more likely to have underlying health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or high blood pressure. with a higher chance of suffering severe results from coronavirus were more likely to die or have serious complications, such as premature birth, postpartum hemorrhage or heavy bleeding after birth, high blood pressure during pregnancy or having a cesarean section.
The mortality rate in the COVID-19 study in women was also 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 in pregnant women without COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“This is much higher than would have been expected at the outset and is certainly worrying,” Metz said. “During pregnancy, we see the same thing we see in people who are not pregnant, because there are high death rates during this time.”
Data on higher deaths related to COVID-19 are something his colleagues at Metz University in Utah Health mentioned in a briefing Thursday. During this briefing, experts said that COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in Utah in 2020 behind heart disease and cancer. He even overcame heart disease and cancer at some point by the end of the year.
The researchers were “somehow” surprised by the findings. Metz explained that they were not sure if there were adverse results of pregnancy with COVID-19 when they started the study. They also did not know if they would be affected by the severity of the disease.
There were also some limitations of the study. She added that the “vast majority” of the patients studied were in the third trimester of pregnancy. Researchers still do not know if the first trimester infection would cause birth defects.
Metz said the study could be seen as reassuring for women with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19, which was the majority of those with symptoms. That being said, as there is no way to know someone’s outcome in advance, she advised pregnant women to wear a mask, practice social distancing, and follow all other public health measures aimed at reducing the risk of contracting VOCID. 19.
Tips for vaccinating COVID-19 during pregnancy
Pregnant women were not included during the initial COVID-19 vaccination studies. Pfizer is currently studying the vaccine in pregnant women, but these studies are not yet complete. At this point in the vaccine launch, pregnant health professionals, emergency responders or teachers would be among the people who should make the decision on vaccination.
The official position of the CDC in this regard is that pregnant women should consult with their healthcare provider, as there is no data on this subject. He added that there are no indications of risk in mRNA vaccine studies.
“When making a decision, pregnant persons and their healthcare providers should take into account the level of Community transmission of COVID-19, the patient’s personal risk of contracting COVID-19, the risks of COVID-19 for the patient and the potential risks. for the fetus, the effectiveness of the vaccine, the side effects of the vaccine and the lack of vaccine data during pregnancy, “the CDC recommends.
While the study did not address vaccines, Metz said knowing the risks of COVID-19 disease is something women must weigh in deciding to have a baby during a pandemic and whether they want to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
This story will be updated.
Carter Williams