On 2020-04-08 00:15:34, user Sinai Immunol Review Project wrote:
Clinical features and the maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019
Keywords
Pregnancy, SARS-CoV2, neonatal and maternal Covid-19 outcome
Key findings
33 pregnant woman and 28 newborns were included in this retrospective multi-center study, conducted at 5 hospitals in Wuhan and Hubei province, China, between January 1 and February 20, 2020. All women were diagnosed with Covid-19 by qPCR or viral gene sequencing based on the Chinese New Corona Pneumonia Prevention and Control Program, 6th edition, and were further subdivided into four groups based on clinical severity: (1) mild, presence of mild clinical symptoms without radiological abnormalities; (2) moderate, fever or upper respiratory symptoms as well as radiological signs of pneumonia; (3) severe, at least one of the following: shortness of breath/respiratory rate >30/min, resting oxygen saturation SaO2<93%, Horowitz index paO2/FiO2 < 300 mmHg (indicating moderate pulmonary damage); and (4) severe-acute, acute respiratory distress with need for mechanical ventilation; systemic shock; multi-organ failure and transfer to ICU. Maternal admission to ICU, mechanical ventilation or death were defined as primary outcomes; secondary study outcomes comprised clinical Covid-19 severity in both mothers and newborns, including development of ARDS, neonatal ICU admission as well as mortality.
Maternal characteristics and outcome: 3 out of 33 women were in their second trimester of pregnancy (17, 20 and 26 weeks), and 15/33 (45.5%) had a previous history of underlying chronic health disorders including cardiovascular, cerebrovascular or nervous system disease. Common Covid-19 symptoms at presentation were fever (63.6%), dry cough (39.4%), fatigue (21.2%), and shortness of breath (21.2%). Less common symptoms included diarrhea, post-partum fever, muscle ache, sore throat and chest pain. 4 (12.1%) pregnant women had no apparent symptoms. The majority of cases were classified as mild (39.4%) or moderate (57.6%); however, one woman developed severe Covid-19. 40.6% of women were diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, 43.8% presented with unilateral pneumonia, and 15.6% showed radiological ground-glass opacity. 87.9% of women required oxygen administration, and one (3%) woman had to be put on non-invasive mechanical ventilation (primary outcome). 81.5% of women had a C-section and only 5% had vaginal deliveries. Obstetrical complications were seen in 22.2% of women, including three cases of preterm rupture of membranes, two cases of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and one case of spontaneous preterm labor. Five pregnancies were ongoing at the end of the observation point of this study; one woman decided to have her pregnancy terminated. Neonatal outcome: Out of 28 newborns included in this study, 35.7% were born preterm at <37 weeks of gestation with Apgar scores ranging from 8-10/10 at 1 min and from 9-10/10 after 5 min, indicating normal heart and respiratory rates. 17.9% of newborns were of low birth weight (not specified) and 14.3% showed signs of fetal distress (also not specified). According to the authors of this study, none of the newborns presented with clinical Covid-19 symptoms. However, one newborn, delivered at 34 weeks of gestation, was diagnosed with (apparently Covid-19 unrelated?) ARDS and transferred to NICU (secondary outcome). Of 26 newborns tested for SARS-CoV2, only one was found positive and showed radiological signs of pneumonia, but no clinical symptoms of Covid-19. It remains unclear whether this was the same case as the newborn diagnosed with ARDS. The affected newborn did not require any treatment and was discharged at 16 days post birth. In summary, the primary outcome “mechanical ventilation” in pregnant women was rare (3%), no other primary outcomes were reached. Most Covid-19 cases in pregnant women were described as mild to moderate. Only one of 28 (3.57%) newborns was diagnosed with ARDS (secondary outcome).
Potential limitations
Major limitations of this study are its small size and the rudimentary and at times inadequate description of patient specifics. For example, underlying health conditions that might be affecting Covid-19 outcome in pregnant women should have been clearly specified (other than being of be listed (not just <37 weeks). Given that maternal infection status seemed mostly unknown at the time of birth and, more importantly, that the majority of cases in this study were clinically asymptomatic or mild to moderate, it remains unclear whether the C-sections performed were a medical necessity or elective procedures. This is of importance and should have been discussed. With regard to neonatal outcome, it is also not apparent whether the newborn found to be infected with SARS-CoV2 and the case diagnosed with ARDS were the same individual. If this was the case, it would be incorrect to refer to all newborns as asymptomatic. Additionally, it seems somewhat unlikely that a newborn with a near-perfect Apgar score would present with ARDS immediately after birth. Likewise, any individual diagnosed with ARDS would certainly be expected to receive supportive treatment including (invasive) mechanical ventilation. While it is highly relevant that overall clinical outcome in pregnant women diagnosed with Covid-19 seems better than in SARS or MERS (as discussed by the authors), it nevertheless needs to be stressed that more than 37% of newborns in this study were delivered preterm and that the obstetric complication rate of 22% seems higher than non-Covid-19 average.
Overall relevance for the field
Observations in this study confirm some of the findings published in a case series by Yu N et al. (Lancet Infect Dis 2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/ S1473-3099(20)30176-6). However, due to the relatively small study size of 33 pregnant women and 28 newborns, this study lacks statistical power and final conclusions on Covid-19 outcomes in pregnant women and newborns cannot be drawn. Yet, the data collected here are important and should be incorporated into larger data sets for more insight. Understanding the clinical course and effects of Covid19 in both pregnant women and newborns is essential, and while there are some recent publications on vertical SARS-CoV2 transmission between mothers and newborns (Dong L et al, JAMA March 26, 2020, doi:10.1001/jama.2020.4621; Zeng H et al, JAMA March 26, 2020, doi:10.1001/jama.2020.4861) as well as on neonatal infection at birth (Zeng L et al, JAMA March 26, 2020, doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0878), our knowledge of how these patient subsets are affected is still very limited.
This review was undertaken as part of a project by students, postdocs and faculty at the Immunology Institute of the Icahn school of medicine, Mount Sinai.