ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to demonstrate the poor prognosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in unvaccinated pregnant women. In this retrospective study, the clinical and laboratory parameters of 26 pregnant or immediately postpartum patients, who were hospitalised and needed intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection were reported. All pregnant patients who followed up in the ICU were unvaccinated. The mortality rate was calculated as 34.62% in the patients included in the study who were admitted to the ICU. Among patients hospitalised in the ICU, the maternal mortality and stillbirth rates associated with COVID-19 infection were found to be 156.28/100,000 and 11.54%, respectively. Preterm birth occurred in 58.33% of the patients who delivered. 79.17% of the patients were delivered by caesarean section. Lymphopenia, high ferritin, interleukin-6, lactate dehydrogenase, D-dimer and C-reactive protein values were found to be associated with mortality. The course of pregnant patients with COVID-19 infection is not always predictable. Clinical and laboratory data should be evaluated in combination for disease prognosis. Adequate information should be given about the importance of vaccination.Impact StatementWhat is already known on this subject? The SARS-CoV-2 infection has caused a public health crisis worldwide. As a result of studies on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected pregnant women, it was observed that there was an increase in maternal and perinatal mortality. There has been an increase in intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, especially after patients infected with the Delta variant. The pandemic continues with an unpredictable course of the new variants.What do the results of this study add? Compared to the pre-pandemic period, COVID-19 infection caused a more than 10-fold increase in maternal mortality, particularly after the Delta variant. In intensive care follow-up, low lymphocyte count, high lactate dehydrogenase, D-dimer, C-reactive protein, ferritin and interleukin-6 values are indicators of poor prognosis.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? COVID-19 infection causes increased maternal mortality. Considering that all of the patients admitted to the ICU in our study were unvaccinated, pregnant women should be encouraged to get vaccinated.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It has still to be ascertained whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in pregnancy is associated with worse maternal and fetal outcomes compared to low risk gestations. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate maternal and perinatal outcomes in high- and low-risk pregnancies complicated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. STUDY DESIGN: This was a multinational retrospective cohort study involving women with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection from 76 centers from 25 countries in Europe, the United States, South America, Asia, and Australia from April 4, 2020, to October 28, 2020. The primary outcome was a composite measure of maternal mortality and morbidity, including admission to the intensive care unit, use of mechanical ventilation, or death. The secondary outcome was a composite measure of adverse perinatal outcome, including miscarriage, fetal loss, neonatal and perinatal death, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. All outcomes were assessed in high- and low-risk pregnancies. Pregnancies were considered high risk in case of either preexisting chronic medical conditions in pregnancy or obstetrical disorders occurring in pregnancy. The Fisher exact test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: A total of 887 singleton pregnancies who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens were included in the study. The risk of composite adverse maternal outcomes was higher in high-risk pregnancies than in low-risk pregnancies (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-2.24; P=.035). In addition, women carrying high-risk pregnancies were at higher risk of hospital admission (odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-2.04; P=.002), presence of severe respiratory symptoms (odds ratio, 2.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.41-3.21; P=.001), admission to the intensive care unit (odds ratio, 2.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-4.88), and invasive mechanical ventilation (odds ratio, 2.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-5.94; P=.002). When exploring perinatal outcomes, high-risk pregnancies were at high risk of adverse perinatal outcomes (odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-2.72; P=.009). However, such association was mainly because of the higher incidence of miscarriage in high-risk pregnancies compared with that in low-risk pregnancies (5.3% vs 1.6%, P=.008); furthermore, there was no difference in other explored outcomes between the 2 study groups. At logistic regression analysis, maternal age (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.22; P=.023) and high-risk pregnancy (odds ratio, 4.21; 95% confidence interval, 3.90-5.11; P<.001) were independently associated with adverse maternal outcomes. CONCLUSION: High-risk pregnancies complicated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection were at higher risk of adverse maternal outcomes than low-risk pregnancies complicated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.