Impact of COVID-19 on maternal and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

July 11, 2020

Francesca Di Toro, Mattheus Gjoka, et. al

Clinical microbiology and infection

This is a systematic review and meta-analysis in which 1100 patients from 24 studies are analyzed. The results show that in most cases the clinical course of the disease was uncomplicated, and the typical symptoms of the disease were the most common. The combined prevalence of preterm birth was 23%. which turns out to be higher than that observed in the general obstetric population, which is reported in 5%. Viral RNA was detected in stool samples from patients in a low percentage of cases, but was absent in the amniotic, placenta, vaginal discharge, and blood, suggesting that intrauterine / intrapartum transmission is unlikely. Only one of 225 newborns had an Apgar score <7 at minute and in three cases at 5 minutes, confirming that the infection does not have a significant impact on fetal health, however there were three stillbirths and three neonatal deaths, but none of them confirmed a clear correlation with the reported infection

Di Toro F, Gjoka M, Di Lorenzo G, et al. Impact of COVID-19 on maternal and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2021;27(1):36-46.

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