COVID-19 and pregnancy: a review of current knowledge

Infez Med. 2020 Jun 1;28(suppl 1):46-51.

Abstract

Background: Since December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major health problem that is spreading all over the world. Several viral infections such as SARS, MERS, and influenza have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The question arises whether pregnant women are at greater risk of complications related to COVID-19 compared to other people What complications should we expect in the fetuses whose mothers were infected?

Aims: This review aims to provide a summary of studies on symptoms of COVID-19 and the possible risks of COVID-19 among pregnant women, as well as complications in fetuses and neonates whose mothers were infected with COVID-19.

Methods: The included data were provided from Web of Science, Cochrane, PubMed, and Scopus which are extracted from the published studies in English until April 2nd, 2020 that contained data on the risk of COVID-19 in pregnancy.

Results: The early symptoms of patients with COVID-19 were fever, cough, dyspnea, myalgia, and fatigue; while production of sputum, headache, hemoptysis, and diarrhea were other symptoms which were less common. There is no evidence of vertical maternal-fetal transmission in pregnant women with COVID-19.

Conclusions: The clinical findings in pregnant women with COVID-19 are not significantly different compared to other patients, and pregnant women with COVID-19 are not at a higher risk of developing critical pneumonia compared to non-pregnant women. Although, there has been no sign of vertical infection in infants, but maternal infection can cause serious problems such as preterm labour and fetal distress.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • C-Reactive Protein / analysis
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / complications
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Coronavirus Infections / transmission
  • Cough / etiology
  • Female
  • Fetal Distress / etiology
  • Fever / etiology
  • Humans
  • Infant, Low Birth Weight
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant, Premature
  • Infant, Small for Gestational Age
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
  • Lymphopenia / etiology
  • Obstetric Labor, Premature / etiology
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / complications
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / transmission
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / etiology
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / epidemiology*
  • Pregnancy Outcome
  • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / epidemiology
  • Symptom Assessment
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • C-Reactive Protein