Impact of diabetes on the severity of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women - A single-center descriptive study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pregnant women have significant morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 infection. Pregnancy and diabetes are known risk factors for severe COVID 19 infection. Understanding the interactions between COVID-19 and diabetes in pregnancy is crucial in developing appropriate therapeutic approaches. India, like many other countries, has a very high prevalence of diabetes and COVID-19 infected cases. Such studies are minimal worldwide and none from India to the best of our knowledge. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We did a retrospective cross-sectional study. 856 COVID-19 infected pregnant women were included in the study. We estimated the impact of diabetes on the severity of COVID-19 infected pregnant women and compared the outcomes with the non-diabetic group. RESULTS: Prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy in the present study was 15.43%(n = 132/856). Prevalence of diabetes in non-severe infection was 14%(n = 115/818), severe infection was 44.73%(n = 17/38), and in maternal deaths was 75% (n = 6/8). The age-adjusted odds ratio for diabetes for severe infection was 4.492 (95% CI = 2.277-8.865, p < 0.001). COVID-19 infected pregnant women with diabetes were at higher risk for Cesarean section (78.3%) and ICU admission for newborns (14.81%) CONCLUSION: Diabetes in pregnant women is strongly associated with the severity of COVID-19 infection. The prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy increases as the severity of COVID-19 infection increases. Diabetes is associated with more adverse outcomes in mothers and newborns. It is necessary to identify pregnant women with diabetes and prioritize them in public health interventions like vaccination.

[Screening for gestational diabetes due to of the COVID-19 pandemic].

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a virus that causes coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19). Currently, there is no evidence that pregnant women are more vulnerable to COVID-19. All concerns and anticipated risks are related to the potential impact of COVID-19 on perinatal outcomes, so pregnant women require special attention in relation to the preventive measures, diagnosis and treatment of a new coronavirus disease. Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) belong to the group of high perinatal risk and need timely medical assistance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a necessity in temporary changes of approaches to diagnosing GSD and pregnancy care before and after delivery in women with GSD. The purpose of our review is to present and analyze all available GSD screening recommendations, updated and published in various countries in response to the coronavirus pandemic, at the time of publication of this article. It seems that there is no single universal strategy to achieve a reasonable balance. In this regard, it is necessary to develop new national algorithms for GSD screening, taking into account both demographic factors and the features and capabilities of our health system. We believe that the knowledge and experience achieved as a result of these changes will lead to the revision and improvement of national and international recommendations.

Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection and preterm birth.

Viral infections are common complications of pregnancy, with a wide range of obstetric and neonatal sequelae. Currently, there are limited data on whether SARS-CoV-2 is vertically transmitted in pregnant women tested positive for the virus. Here we describe a case of a known SARS-CoV-2-positive woman giving preterm birth to two fetuses with SARS-CoV-2 positive testing in placental tissue and amniotic fluid. The placental histological examinations showed chronic intervillositis and extensive intervillous fibrin depositions with ischemic necrosis of the surrounding villi.