2024-04-15 08:40:17
A new study claims that a corona infection in an expectant mother increases the likelihood of a premature birth. What you need to know.
The more time passes since the coronavirus outbreak, the more scientific knowledge about the consequences of the disease becomes known. Long-term research papers are published and show consequences of the virus that can only be recognized retrospectively. This is also the case with a new one from two US researchers who have studied the effects of a corona infection on expectant mothers.
Like the magazine spectrum of science reported, the researchers have observed that a corona infection in pregnant women can lead to an increased likelihood of premature birth. Accordingly, the risk of a premature birth rose from the usual 7.1 percent to 8.3 percent if the expectant mother was infected with Sars-Cov-2.
The Study, the End of November 2023 in the specialist journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published examines population data on siblings born in California between January 2014 and February 2023. In the first two years of the pandemic, 2020 and 2021, the researchers were able to identify a strong connection between Covid-19 infections and premature births.
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Video: dpa
Study on premature births due to Corona: Do vaccinations help?
According to the researchers, the risk of a premature birth after a corona infection was not only significantly increased before the 37th week of pregnancy, the effect was already evident after the 32nd week of pregnancy. The researchers compared the effect to an embryo that was exposed to “the strong smoke of a forest fire for 20 days.” The health damage caused by a corona infection to an expectant mother could be very significant for the child.
What was interesting for the research team was that the effect suddenly disappeared in 2022. It was no longer possible to observe an increased probability of a premature birth after a corona infection. The researchers attribute this development to the Covid vaccinations, which were finally widespread in 2022. This explanation is also supported by the fact that, according to the research team, premature births fell significantly faster in regions with higher vaccination rates than in areas with low vaccination rates.
According to the authors of the study, this is an indication that vaccinations are very important for expectant mothers. In recent months, pregnant women have stopped receiving booster vaccinations for fear that the vaccination could harm the unborn child. “The results here provide compelling evidence that what will actually harm the fetus is not vaccinating,” explains Jenna Nobles, one of the study’s authors.
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Premature birth because of Corona: Why does this happen and what are the consequences?
What the study cannot yet explain: Why does a corona infection increase the risk of premature birth? The researchers believe that an infection leads to inflammation of the placenta, causing premature birth. Further studies will be necessary to explain the exact connection between Covid-19 and premature births.
A premature birth is no small thing. Many babies born prematurely do not survive birth and others survive but often suffer damage from premature birth. Particularly neurological limitations such as movement disorders, deafness and a below-average IQ can result.
By the way: Studies also suggest a connection with Corona in type 1 diabetes.
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