Coronavirus infection during pregnancy is associated with problems with the development of the baby’s brain

Babies whose mother was infected with the coronavirus during pregnancy High risk of brain developmental disorders New studies examining the births of more than 7,500 people, including autism and bipolar disorder, suggest.

Published Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open, the findings increase the urgency of controlling coronavirus infection, although new variants are unlikely to cause severe cases of COVID-19.

Other viruses, such as influenza and measles, are thought to make babies more vulnerable to conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, and depression when exposed in utero. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School wondered if the same could be said for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

“There have been more than a decade of studies suggesting that viral infections during pregnancy may be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, so there was reason to be concerned about this virus as well,” he said. Dr. Roy PerlisDirector of the Quantitative Health Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and lead author of the study.

Researchers examined data from electronic health records of deliveries made at eight medical centers in Massachusetts between March and September 2020, early in the pandemic. Records tracked the development of the baby during the first year of life, looking for specific codes, which show a diagnosis of developmental disorders, especially motor function, language or language-related.

Researchers found that of the 7,550 babies whose mothers were uninfected during pregnancy, 3% were diagnosed with brain developmental disorders before their first birthday. Of the 222 infants exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in utero, 6.3% were diagnosed by the age of one.

Researchers have explained other factors that may affect a child’s risk of neurological development problems, such as preterm birth, mother’s age, and baby’s gender, and then exposure to SARS-CoV-2 before birth. Some babies are 86% more likely to be diagnosed in their first year compared to babies who were not exposed before they were born.

Perlis emphasized that the overall risk of developing these disorders remains low for all babies.

He added that one year is not enough to fully understand how prenatal coronavirus exposure affects children. Still, he said he was surprised to find the link in the first place.

“Frankly, I would have been happier if I couldn’t see anything,” he said.

In the commentary accompanying the research, Dr. Torrimets It was suggested that the coronavirus may not be directly involved in the baby’s developmental problems.

“I wonder if it’s the virus itself, or if social changes and stress in the pandemic have a negative impact on the outcome of the child,” said Mets, a maternal-fetal medicine expert at the University of Utah.

However Dr. Christina Adams WaldorfA gynecologist studying infectious diseases during pregnancy at the University of Washington School of Medicine said the findings were similar to studies looking at infections caused by other viruses.

“Previous studies involving millions of pregnancies in Sweden have shown that exposure to various types of infections, such as influenza during pregnancy, can affect a child’s neurological development.” Said Adams Waldorf, who was not involved in the new study.

With coronavirus, further research is needed to determine if the severity of the mother’s infection is important.

“Unfortunately, asymptomatic or mild infections are also very likely to be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in children,” she said.

Anyway, the medical advice for pregnant women remains the same.

“This should be another awakening call for pregnant women to be vaccinated, boosted, masked and take as many precautions as possible,” said Adams Waldorf.