A new case study from the University of Miami and the Miller School of Medicine shows that coronavirus infection can break through the placenta during pregnancy and cause brain damage in a newborn.
Corona disease in the second trimester
Two such cases have been confirmed in the neonatal intensive care unit at Holtz Children’s Hospital – a hospital affiliated with the Miller School. In both cases, the mothers contracted Covid-19 in the second trimester. EHowever, one of the pregnant women had a second infection in the third trimester, suggesting that an unusual maternal or fetal immune response may have been a factor.
Both children tested negative for Corona at birth. However, the babies had “significantly increased” Covid antibodies in their blood. This suggests that the antibodies have crossed either the placenta or the virus itself, triggering an immune response in the fetus.
Both babies were born with small heads, seizures, and developmental delays. One child died after 13 months.
Increased risk for mothers
A study (in the journal British Medical Journal Global Health published) has also already shown that a corona infection at any time during pregnancy increases the risk of death for the mother and is associated with serious illnesses in both mothers and their newborns.
The likelihood of artificial respiration was 15 times higher. Infected pregnant women were also five times more likely to need some type of intensive care, including those due to causes other than COVID-19. The risk of pneumonia was more than 23 times higher, and that of serious blood clots was five times higher.
Data from twelve countries
A total of around 13,100 pregnant women from twelve countries were examined. It was found that the newborns were also exposed to increased health risks. Babies born to women with Covid-19 during pregnancy were almost twice as likely to be admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit.
In addition, the probability of a premature birth (before the 34th week) was three times higher than for babies whose mothers did not have a corona infection during pregnancy. The baby’s risk of being underweight at birth was increased by 19 percent.