56% of pregnant women using COVID-19 in UK hospitals are BAME

More than half of pregnant women admitted to British hospitals at COVID-19 are black or belong to other ethnic minority groups, according to a new national survey released this week.

Collaborative study on pregnancy with SARS-CoV-2 infection, a British obstetric surveillance system “Characteristics and Outcomes of Pregnant Women Hospitalized in Hospitals with SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the UK: A National Population-Based Cohort Study” Featured in the latest issue of a research group, journal British Medical Journal..

What was the study about?

The team of researchers writes that there is little evidence of a mother-to-newborn transmission of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The team writes that there are small case series and case reports of such infections, but lacking extensive research and reports.

“To our knowledge, as of May 12, 2020, more than 90 scientific reports of SARS-CoV-2 infections during pregnancy were published in English, all on a population basis. No.” Furthermore, most of the reported cases were women in late pregnancy.

They also explain that pregnant women, like other viral and infectious diseases, are susceptible to COVID-19 due to altered immune status. They could significantly increase the risk of “maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality,” they wrote.

This study aims to describe a cohort of pregnant women nationwide hospitalized for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study also recorded transmission from mothers to newborns as a result of such infections.

what did you do?

The study was designed in 2012 and was to be conducted in the event of a pandemic. This study was activated by the UK Department of Health and Human Services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers used the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) to assess the prevalence and outcome of infections in 427 pregnant women. “UKOSS is a research platform that collects national population-based information on certain serious complications of pregnancy from all 194 UK hospitals with consultant-led obstetric units,” they write. .. The research team was headed by Professor Marian Knight of the Nuffield Department of Population and Health at Oxford University.

Infection of pregnant women was confirmed by detection of viral RNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a blood test on samples from nasopharyngeal swabs. Only women with symptoms were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Detection of virus by PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs and neonatal aspirates also confirmed the diagnosis.

The data were collated by research midwives and nurses in the UK National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Network. It included all women admitted to the hospital between March 1 and April 14, 2020. Women who had full information by April 29, 2020 were included in the final analysis.

The measured and considered results were: hospitalization rates for pregnant mothers, infant infection rates, maternal mortality, or the need for level 3 critical care hospitalization, loss of babies, need for cesarean section, Birth of a premature or stillborn baby and hospitalization of the newborn in a newborn ICU.

What did you find?

The results showed that the estimated incidence of hospitalization for pregnant women with confirmed COVID-19 infection was 4.9 per 1,000 live births. They found that 56% of the analyzed mothers (233 women) came from blacks or other ethnic minority groups. They also said that 281 women or 69% were obese or overweight and 175 women or 41% were 35 years or older. Pre-existing illness was found in 34% (145 people) of women.

Regarding the results, they pointed out that 62 percent or 266 of the women gave birth or lost their pregnancy. A total of 196 women (73%) had term infants, while others were preterm. An additional 10% of pregnant women needed respiratory support on admission and 1% (5) of the women died during the course of the disease.

5% or 12 of the infants were positively infected by the mother, 6 of whom were positive within 12 hours of birth.

Conclusions and implications

The study noted that more than half of pregnant women admitted to UK hospitals at COVID-19 came from blacks or other ethnic minority groups. They also said that the outcomes for these women were generally good and the risk of newborn transmission was low.

The authors noted that the high proportion of hospitalized women belonging to blacks or minorities caused concern and needed further investigation.

They write, “A high proportion of black or minority women hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infections require urgent investigation and explanation.”

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