COVID-19 During Pregnancy Linked With Higher Risk Of Preterm Birth: Lancet Study

New Delhi: Women who get infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 while pregnant face a higher risk of having a very preterm birth, as well as any preterm birth, according to a large US study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas journal.

The researchers at the University of California (UC) San Francisco in the US found that the risk of very preterm birth, which occurs at less than 32 weeks of gestation, was 60 per cent higher for those infected with COVID-19 at some point in their pregnancy.

The risk of any preterm birth or giving birth at less than 37 weeks was 40 per cent higher in those with the SARS-CoV-2 infection, they said.

For those who also had hypertension, diabetes and/or obesity as well as COVID-19, the risk of preterm birth rose 160 per cent, according to the study.

“Preterm birth is associated with many challenging outcomes for pregnant people and babies, and very preterm births carry the highest risk of infant complications,”  study lead and corresponding author Deborah Karasek, an assistant professor at UC San Francisco was quoted as saying.

“Our results point to the importance of preventative measures to reduce Covid-19 infection among pregnant people to prevent preterm birth, including vaccination,” she said.

Pregnant people are considered a high-risk population for COVID-19 infection, the researchers said.

The study identifies the risks of COVID-19 by specific subtype of preterm birth, as well as by race, ethnicity, and insurance status.

The researchers noted that having comorbidities along with COVID-19 infection increased the risk of preterm birth.

Individuals with hypertension, diabetes and/or obesity, as well as a COVID-19 diagnosis, had a 160 per cent higher risk of very preterm birth, and a 100 per cent higher risk of preterm birth compared to those without comorbidities or the disease, they said.

Researchers acknowledged some limitations of the study, which included that it couldn’t determine when during pregnancy the individuals contracted COVID-19, or how serious the infections were.

These are important details for understanding the mechanisms by which COVID-19 affects preterm birth risk, Karasek added.