More risks to pregnant women, their newborns from Covid-19 than known before: study

Pregnant women at higher risk of premature birth, high blood pressure, need for intensive care and possible death


Reuters April 23, 2021

Pregnant women infected with Covid-19 and their newborn children face higher risks of complications than was previously known, a study by British scientists showed on Friday.

An infection of the new coronavirus in such newborns is associated with a three-fold risk of severe medical complications, according to a study conducted by scientists at the University of Oxford.

While pregnant women are at higher risk of complications such as premature birth, high blood pressure with organ failure risk, need for intensive care and possible death.

"Women with Covid-19 during pregnancy were over 50% more likely to experience pregnancy complications compared to pregnant women unaffected by Covid-19," said Aris Papageorghiou, co-lead of the trial and a professor of fetal medicine at Oxford University.

Read more: At least 144 die due to Covid-19 in Pakistan in past 24 hours

The study was conducted in more than 2,100 pregnant women across 18 countries, where each woman affected by Covid-19 was compared to two non-infected women giving birth at the same time in the same hospital.

Findings from the study, published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, also showed a delivery by caesarean section may be associated with an increased risk of virus infection in newborns.

However, breastfeeding does not seem to heighten risks of babies contracting Covid-19 from their mothers, scientists said.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ