A Review Study on the Neonatal Outcomes of Pregnant Women with COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a fatal respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that quickly became a pandemic. Pregnant women and neonates are two vulnerable groups in COVID-19 infections because the immune system weakens during pregnancy. The present review study was conducted to investigate the rate of vertical transmission in infants born to women with COVID-19 infections and to describe the characteristics of the affected infants. We conducted a search of the various scientific databases using relevant keywords. All English-language studies involving neonates born to women who had COVID-19 infections were included. The main outcomes were rates of vertical transmission and the characteristics of the affected newborns. Out of 13 selected studies, 103 newborns were involved. The rate of vertical transmission was 5.4%. Of the five infected newborns, four were full-term and one was preterm. All were born by Cesarean section. The clinical symptoms were vomiting, fever, lethargy, shortness of breath, and cyanosis. In four newborns, a chest x-ray showed evidence of pneumonia. The most common laboratory finding was leukocytosis and elevated creatine kinase levels. One newborn needed mechanical ventilation. All newborns recovered and were discharged. The findings of this review study showed that the prognosis of newborns of infected mothers was satisfactory, and clinical symptoms of infected neonates did not differ from adults and were nonspecific. Due to the low amount of data regarding this field, further studies with higher sample sizes are required for more definitive conclusions.

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review.

In December 2019, a respiratory disease caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) began in Wuhan, China, and quickly became a pandemic. In such situations, pregnant women are suspected of being among the vulnerable groups. The aim of this study was to report clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and obstetrical complications, maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women. We searched the Cochrane library, MEDLINE/PubMed, and Web of Sciences from their inception to April 5, 2020. Any study involving pregnant women with COVID-19 which evaluated the effect of the disease on pregnancy outcomes and fetal and neonatal complications was included in the study. The outcomes were the symptoms and laboratory findings, obstetrical complications, mode of delivery, and maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications. The search resulted in 69 titles and abstracts, which were narrowed down to 12 studies involving 68 women. The three most common symptoms of patients were fever, cough, and fatigue. The most common laboratory findings were an increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) and lymphopenia. The most common obstetrical complication was preterm labor (33.3%). No maternal deaths were reported. The Cesarean section rate was 83.3% and the vertical transition rate was 2.23%. The findings showed that the clinical symptoms and laboratory measures of pregnant women affected by COVID-19 did not differ from the general population. In general, the prognosis of mothers who suffered from COVID-19 and their newborns was satisfactory. However, there is a need for further rigorous studies to confirm these findings as the pandemic progresses.