Two-thirds of preterm births are due to spontaneous onset of preterm labor. The remaining third is due to medical conditions that affect either the mother or the unborn baby that necessitate delivery.
Researchers conducted a study to find the rate of preterm birth in about 1,000 pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 depended on the severity of their infection. The study findings are published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
They found patients with severe COVID-19 have a five-fold greater risk of preeclampsia than asymptomatic patients. Moreover, the relative risk of developing preeclampsia in women with moderate or severe COVID-19 was 3.3-fold higher than in those with asymptomatic or mild infection.
This principal finding is a dose-response relationship between the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk of subsequent development of preeclampsia and preterm birth.
The excess rate of premature birth usually reported is due to medically-induced preterm birth brought about by concerns for the health of the mother, such as preeclampsia.
Preeclampsia is a sudden increase in blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy.This condition is responsible for 76,000 maternal deaths and more than 500,000 infant deaths every year.
Some mothers develop seizures (eclampsia) and suffer intracranial hemorrhage, the main cause of death in those who develop the disorder. Some women develop blindness.
The babies of preeclamptic mothers are affected by the condition and may develop intrauterine growth restriction or die in utero.
This study shows that more severe the COVID-19 infection, the greater the risk of preeclampsia, which makes doctors to medically induce early delivery to save the lives of mothers infected with COVID-19.
Regardless of those medically induced preterm births, the possibility that COVID-19 infection causes preeclampsia must also be considered.
Source: Medindia
