The role of eosinophil as a diagnostic, differential, and prognostic marker for Covid-19 during pregnancy: Case-control study from tertiary center.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the level of eosinophil count in Covid-19 pregnant patients as a cost-effective tool for aiding in diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and prognosis and, to assess whether eosinopenia could be similar or superior to lymphopenia in pregnancy with Covid-19. METHODS: Retrospective case-control study was conducted including pregnant women tested simultaneously for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR and complete blood count (CBC). Eosinophil counts (EOS), lymphocytes (LYM), neutrophils (NEU) with calculation of EOS/LYM ratio, EOS/NEU ratio, NEU/LYM ratio, LYM/NEU ratio (LNR), eosinopenia, and lymphopenia were compared between the groups. ROC analysis was performed for determination of optimal cut-off values and comparative analysis between AUC were performed using the paired sample design. Logistic regression was used to determine the factors affecting the categorical variables. RESULTS: Four thousand two hundred sixteen pregnant women were included in the final analysis of which (n = 845) as healthy control group, (n = 1482) as non Covid-19 patient group and (n = 1889) as Covid-19 group. Covid-19 group was divided into three subgroups based on severity. To diagnose and distinguish Covid-19 from other infectious conditions, EOS had better performance with higher area under curve (AUC) (0.769 and 0.757 AUC, respectively, p < 0.001). Categorically, eosinopenia had better diagnostic (Covid-19 vs. healthy), prognostic (severe-critical vs. mild-moderate), and differential diagnostic (Covid-19 vs. non Covid-19) performance than lymphopenia (OR = 5.5 vs. 3.4, OR = 3.4 vs. 1.8, OR = 5.4 vs. 2.7 p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Eosinopenia is a low-cost, reliable, and convenient marker for Covid-19 not only in diagnosis, but also in prognosis by acting as an early marker for predicting severe-critical cases.

Adverse outcomes and maternal complications in pregnant women with severe-critical COVID-19: a tertiary center experience.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to present perinatal outcomes, clinical challenges, and basic ICU management in pregnant women with severe-critical COVID-19 at our tertiary referral center. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, patients were divided into two groups, whether they survived or not. Clinical characteristics, obstetric and neonatal outcomes, initial laboratory test results and radiologic imaging findings, arterial blood gas parameters at ICU admission, and ICU complications and interventions were compared between groups. RESULTS: 157 of the patients survived, and 34 of the patients died. Asthma was the leading health problem among the non-survivors. Fifty-eight patients were intubated, and 24 of them were weaned off and discharged healthfully. Of the 10 patients who underwent ECMO, only 1 survived (p<0.001). Preterm labor was the most common pregnancy complication. Maternal deterioration was the most common indication for a cesarean section. Higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte-ratio (NLR) values, the need for prone positioning, and the occurrence of an ICU complication were important parameters that influenced maternal mortality (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overweight pregnant women and pregnant women with comorbidities, especially asthma, may have a higher risk of mortality related to COVID-19. A worsening maternal health condition can lead to increased rates of cesarean delivery and iatrogenic prematurity.

The utility of systemic immune-inflammation index and systemic immune-response index in the prediction of adverse outcomes in pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019: Analysis of 2649 cases.

AIM: To investigate the association of systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and systemic immune-response index (SIRI) with adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: The cases were divided into (1) the Mild-moderate COVID-19 group (n = 2437) and (2) the Severe-critical COVID-19 group (n = 212). Clinical characteristics, perinatal outcomes, SII (neutrophilXplatelet/lymphocyte), and SIRI (neutrophilXmonocyte/lymphocyte) were compared between the groups. Afterward, SII and SIRI values were compared between subgroups based on pregnancy complications, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, and maternal mortality. A receiver operator characteristic analysis was performed for the determination of optimal cutoff values for SII and SIRI in the prediction of COVID-19 severity, pregnancy complications, NICU admission, and maternal mortality. RESULTS: Both SII and SIRI were significantly higher in complicated cases (p < 0.05). Cutoff values in the prediction of severe-critical COVID-19 were 1309.8 for SII, and 2.3 for SIRI. For pregnancy complications, optimal cutoff values were 973.2 and 1.6. Cutoff values of 1045.4 and 1.8 were calculated for the prediction of NICU admission. Finally, cut-off values of 1224.2 and 2.4 were found in the prediction of maternal mortality. CONCLUSION: SII and SIRI might be used in combination with other clinical findings in the prediction of poor perinatal outcomes.

The impact of covid-19 on thyroid function tests in pregnancy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection on thyroid function tests (TFTs) in pregnant women and to evaluate whether TFT changes are related to the severity and prognosis. METHODS: Consecutive pregnant women tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR at Ankara City Hospital were recruited between January 2021 and September 2021. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3), thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO), and thyroglobulin antibody (anti-TG) were measured on admission. RESULTS: Among 747 eligible pregnant women with the same baseline characteristics, 369 RT-PCR-positive women in the patient group and 378 RT-PCR-negative women in the control group were included in the analyses. Pregnant women in the patient group had significantly lower TSH, FT4, FT3, Anti TPO, and Anti TG concentrations compared with those in the control group (p < 0.001). The proportion of patient groups with mild, moderate, severe, and critical diseases were 297 (80.4%), 40 (10.8%), 17 (4.6%), and 15 (4.2%), respectively, among which with the moderate, severe, and critical disease had significantly lower FT3 values (2.5 vs 2.19 pg/mL, p < 0.001) and higher nonthyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS) (29.2 vs. 8.4%, p < 0.001) than those with mild disease. Lower FT3 values increased the risk of ICU admission, NICU admission, and severe disease (p < 0.001). FT3 and TSH correlated positively with lymphocytes (p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) (p < 0.001, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: The SARS-CoV-2 infection seems to have an impact on the TFTs of pregnant women, and particularly FT3 level seems to be correlated with disease severity.

The Impact of Elevated Liver Enzymes and Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy on the Course of COVID-19 in Pregnant Women.

This study aims to investigate the perinatal outcomes in COVID-19 pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and elevated liver enzymes. Present study was carried out on pregnant women with COVID-19 between March 11, 2020, and August 11, 2021. Patients with liver enzyme levels higher than twice the upper limit of the reference range for aspartate aminotransferase(AST) and/or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were included. Patients with unexplained pruritus and elevated fasting biliary acid (FBA) levels were considered ICP. The remaining cases were used as the control group. There were a total of 1751 patients in the study period. Among them, 126 had elevated liver enzymes. Nineteen of these cases had also ICP. AST and ALT values were statistically higher in the ICP group. Demographic features, clinical characteristics, and perinatal outcomes were similar between the groups. The rate of ICP in pregnant women with COVID-19 was similar to the literature in this study. Although the preterm delivery rates for both groups were higher than in the current literature, the preterm delivery rates in the study and control groups were similar. Elevated liver enzymes can be observed in pregnant women with COVID-19 with higher rates of preterm delivery compared to the previous literature. However, the diagnosis of ICP in addition to elevated liver enzymes seems to have no significant impact on the perinatal outcomes. Future studies conducted on larger populations are necessary to confirm these results.

The influence of COVID-19 pandemic on intrauterine fetal demise and possible vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of COVID-19 on intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD) and vertical transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 from the mother to the fetus are crucial issues of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the current study, we aimed to detect the pandemic's influence on the IUFD and evaluate the vertical transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 through analysis of placental tissues collected from PCR positive women with IUFD above 20 weeks of gestation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pregnant women above 20 weeks of gestation and had a fetus intrauterine demised during pandemic were included in the study. The pregnant women screened for COVID-19. Vertical transmission searched from placental tissues of COVID-19 positive women by RT-PCR tests for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The number of IUFD before the pandemic and during the pandemic compared to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the IUFD ratio. RESULTS: Among 138 pregnant women with IUFD, 100 of them could screen for COVID-19 status. RT-PCR test results of 6 of the screened pregnant women were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Placental tissues of these six women were analyzed, and one test result was positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The IUFD ratio was significantly increased during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: It is clear that COVID-19 increases the IUFD ratio. Previous data for vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the second trimester is limited. We present the third case of literature that has positive placental results for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the second trimester of pregnancy.

The Ímpact of Elevated Liver Enzymes and Íntrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy on the Course of COVID-19 in Pregnant Women

This study aims to investigate the perinatal outcomes in COVID-19 pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and elevated liver enzymes. Present study was carried out on pregnant women with COVID-19 between March 11, 2020, and August 11, 2021. Patients with liver enzyme levels higher than twice the upper limit of the reference range for aspartate aminotransferase(AST) and/or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were included. Patients with unexplained pruritus and elevated fasting biliary acid (FBA) levels were considered ICP. The remaining cases were used as the control group. There were a total of 1751 patients in the study period. Among them, 126 had elevated liver enzymes. Nineteen of these cases had also ICP. AST and ALT values were statistically higher in the ICP group. Demographic features, clinical characteristics, and perinatal outcomes were similar between the groups. The rate of ICP in pregnant women with COVID-19 was similar to the literature in this study. Although the preterm delivery rates for both groups were higher than in the current literature, the preterm delivery rates in the study and control groups were similar. Elevated liver enzymes can be observed in pregnant women with COVID-19 with higher rates of preterm delivery compared to the previous literature. However, the diagnosis of ICP in addition to elevated liver enzymes seems to have no significant impact on the perinatal outcomes. Future studies conducted on larger populations are necessary to confirm these results.

Comparison of clinical features and perinatal outcomes between pre-variant and post-variant periods in pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2: analysis of 1935 cases.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical features and perinatal outcomes of pregnant women with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the pre-variant and post-variant periods. METHODS: This prospective cohort study includes pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 who were followed-up at Ankara City Hospital between 11, March 2020 and 15, September 2021. Demographic features, clinical characteristics and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the pre-variant (n = 1416) and post-variant (n = 519) groups. RESULTS: The rates of severe and critical cases significantly increased in the post-variant group (9.7% vs 2%, p < 0.001). The rates of respiratory support (26.8% vs 7.3%, p < 0.001), ICU admission (12.9% vs 1.8%, p < 0.001) and maternal mortality (2.9% vs 0.4%, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the post-variant group. A significant increase was observed for pregnancy complications in the post-variant group (45.6% vs 18.8%, p = 0.007). The rates of preterm delivery (26.4% vs 4.4%, p < 0.001) and NICU admission (34% vs 18.8%, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the post-variant group. Positive, weak, statistically significant correlations were observed between the post-variant period, disease severity and maternal mortality (r = 0.19, r = 0.12 and p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Post-variant COVID-19 period was associated with a severe course of the disease and increased rates of adverse obstetric outcomes in pregnant patients.

Impact of vitamin D on the course of COVID-19 during pregnancy: A case control study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the vitamin D status of pregnant women with COVID-19, and the association between vitamin D level and severity of COVID-19. METHODS: In this case control study, 159 women with a single pregnancy and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and randomly selected 332 healthy pregnant women with similar gestational ages were included. COVID-19 patients were classified as mild, moderate, and severe. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25-hydroxycholecalciferol <20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L), and 25-OH D vitamin <10 ng/mL was defined as severe vitamin D deficiency, also 25-OH D vitamin level between 20-29 ng/mL (525-725 nmol/L) was defined as vitamin D insufficiency. RESULTS: Vitamin D levels of the pregnant women in the COVID-19 group (12.46) were lower than the control group (18.76). 25-OH D vitamin levels of those in the mild COVID-19 category (13.69) were significantly higher than those in the moderate/severe category (9.06). In terms of taking vitamin D supplementation, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. However, it was observed that all of those who had severe COVID-19 were the patients who did not take vitamin D supplementation. CONCLUSION: The vitamin D levels are low in pregnant women with COVID-19. Also, there is a significant difference regarding to vitamin D level and COVID-19 severity in pregnant women. Maintenance of adequate vitamin D level can be useful as an approach for the prevention of an aggressive course of the inflammation induced by this novel coronavirus in pregnant women.

Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2: A prospective cross-sectional study from a tertiary center.

The aim was to investigate the association of the delivery mode and vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) through the samples of vaginal secretions, placenta, cord blood, or amniotic fluid as well as the neonatal outcomes. This cross-sectional study presents an analysis of prospectively gathered data collected at a single tertiary hospital. Sixty-three pregnant women with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) participated in the study. Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was analyzed with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests and blood tests for immunoglobulin G (IgG)-immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies. All patients were in the mild or moderate category for COVID-19. Only one placental sample and two of the vaginal secretion samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Except for one, all positive samples were obtained from patients who gave birth by cesarean. All cord blood and amniotic fluid samples were negative for SARS-CoV-2. Two newborns were screened positive for COVID-19 IgG-IgM within 24 h after delivery, but the RT-PCR tests were negative. A positive RT-PCR result was detected in a neof a mother whose placenta, cord blood, amniotic fluid, and vaginal secretions samples were negative. He died due to pulmonary hemorrhage on the 11th day of life. In conclusion, we demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 can be detectable in the placenta or vaginal secretions of pregnant women. Detection of the virus in the placenta or vaginal secretions may not be associated with neonatal infection. Vaginal delivery may not increase the incidence of neonatal infection, and cesarean may not prevent vertical transmission. The decision regarding the mode of delivery should be based on obstetric indications and COVID-19 severity.

Cardiotocographic features in COVID-19 infected pregnant women.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the cardiotocograph (CTG) traces of 224 women infected with novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and analyze whether changes in the CTG traces are related to the severity of COVID-19. METHODS: We designed a prospective cohort study. Two-hundred and twenty-four women who had a single pregnancy of 32 weeks or more, and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were included. Clinical diagnosis and classifications were made according to the Chinese management guideline for COVID-19 (version 6.0). Patients were classified into categories as mild, moderate, severe and the CTG traces were observed comparing the hospital admission with the third day of positivity. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant relationship between COVID-19 severity and CTG category, variability, tachycardia, bradycardia, acceleration, deceleration, and uterine contractility, Apgar 1st and 5th min. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal COVID-19 infection can cause changes that can be observed in CTG. Regardless of the severity of the disease, COVID-19 infection is associated with changes in CTG. The increase in the baseline is the most obvious change.

Assessment of fetal Doppler parameters in pregnant women with COVID-19 infection: a prospective case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on fetal Doppler parameters. METHODS: This was a prospective case-control study conducted in Ankara City Hospital with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infected pregnants between August 1, 2020 and October 1, 2020. There were 54 COVID-19 confirmed pregnant women and 97 age-matched pregnant women as a control group between 28 and 39 weeks. Infection was confirmed based on positive real-time polymerase-chain reaction results. Demographic features, uterine artery (right, left), umblical artery, middle cerebral artery, ductus venosus, cerebro-placental ratio, and cerebral-placental-uterine ratio Doppler parameters were investigated in both groups. RESULTS: Two groups were similar in terms of demographic features and no difference was found for fetal Doppler parameters. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 seems to have no adverse effect on fetoplacental circulation in mild and moderate patients during the acute phase of the infection.

Does having a high-risk pregnancy influence anxiety level during the COVID-19 pandemic?

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to analyze the changing level of anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic in pregnant women, with and without high-risk indicators separately, in a tertiary care center serving also for COVID-19 patients, in the capital of Turkey. STUDY DESIGN: We designed a case-control and cross-sectional study using surveys. The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale questionnaire (STAI-T) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) which were validated in Turkish were given to outpatient women with high-risk pregnancies as study group and normal pregnancies as control group. A total of 446 women were recruited. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between those with and without high-risk pregnancy in terms of Trait-State Anxiety scores with COVID-19 pandemic (p < 0.05). We found an increased prevalence of anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic in high-risk pregnant women comparing to pregnancies with no risk factors (p < 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the education level in high-risk pregnant women in terms of anxiety scores (p < 0.05), Beck Anxiety score was highest in high school graduates (42.75). While the level of Trait Anxiety was the highest with pandemic in those with high-risk pregnancy with threatened preterm labor and preterm ruptures of membranes (58.0), those with thrombophilia were the lowest (50.88). The State Anxiety level and Beck Anxiety Score of those with maternal systemic disease were the highest (53.32 and 45.53), while those with thrombophilia were the lowest (46.96 and 40.08). The scores of Trait Anxiety (56.38), State Anxiety (52.14), Beck Anxiety (43.94) were statistically higher during the pandemic in those hospitalized at least once (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: High-risk pregnant women require routine anxiety and depression screening and psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. High-risk pregnancy patients have comorbid conditions most of the time, hence they not only at more risk for getting infected, but also have higher anxiety scores because of the stress caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

Comparison of VEGF-A values between pregnant women with COVID-19 and healthy pregnancies and its association with composite adverse outcomes.

The aim is to compare VEGF-A values between pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and healthy controls. Furthermore, the association of inflammation parameters, disease severity, and obstetric complications with VEGF-A was investigated. This prospective case-control study was conducted on pregnant women who were admitted to Ankara City Hospital between June 14, 2020 and August 28, 2020. Pregnant women with COVID-19 (n = 95) were compared with a control group of healthy pregnant women (n = 92) with similar clinical and demographic characteristics. Demographic features, clinical characteristics, laboratory test results, VEGF-A values were compared between the groups. A correlation analysis was performed between VEGF-A levels, inflammation parameters, and clinical characteristics of the cases for pregnant women with COVID-19. VEGF-A levels were also compared between patients with composite adverse outcome and patients without any complication in the COVID-19 group. The two groups were similar except for obstetric complications (p > .05). The obstetric complication rate was higher in the COVID-19 group (p =.02). The two groups were comparable in terms of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and VEGF-A values. VEGF-A values were slightly different between the trimesters. A negative moderate statistically significant correlation was found between the neutrophil and VEGF-A values (r = -0.231, p =.02). VEGF-A values were similar between patients with and without composite adverse outcomes (p > .05). VEGF-A values were similar between pregnant women with COVID-19 and healthy controls.