If a mother had a Covid-19 infection while pregnant, then the subsequently born children may be more likely to be diagnosed with autism and other neurodevelopment disorders, according to a new study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital analysed more than 18,000 births that occurred in the Mass General Brigham health system between March 2020 and May 2021, assessing records for laboratory. Their findings confirmed the Covid-19 tests among mothers and the neurodevelopment diagnoses among their children through age 3.
What does the research say?
The results found that children born to mothers who had Covid-19 during pregnancy were 16 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder than those born to mothers who did not have an infection while pregnant (10 per cent).
The differences in risks were higher in boys and in cases where the mother had gotten the infection during the third trimester.
The authors of the study quoted other studies that have suggested that male fetal brains are more susceptible to maternal immune responses and the third trimester is a "critical window for brain development."
Autism and other disorders
The most common diagnoses found in children were disorders in speech and motor function development and autism. About 2.7 per cent children were born to mothers who had Covid-19 while pregnant and were diagnosed with autism, compared to 1.1 per cent of others.
According to the researchers, these findings are “particularly notable in light of their biological plausibility.” “Parental awareness of the potential for adverse child neurodevelopmental outcomes after Covid-19 in pregnancy is key. By understanding the risks, parents can appropriately advocate for their children to have proper evaluation and support,” said Dr. Lydia Shook, maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and lead author of the study, in a news release.
Covid-19 poses a risk to fetal health
Since the research was conducted early in the pandemic, before the vaccines were widely available, researchers were able to “isolate the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and offspring neurodevelopment in an unvaccinated population.” About 93 per cent of the mothers included in the assessment had not received any doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
This research highlights that like other infections, Covid-19 can also pose a risk not only to the mother, but also to fetal brain development. “They also support the importance of trying to prevent Covid-19 infection in pregnancy and are particularly relevant when public trust in vaccines – including the Covid-19 vaccine – is being eroded,” said Dr. Andrea Edlow, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Mass General Brigham and senior author of the new study, in a news release.
Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital analysed more than 18,000 births that occurred in the Mass General Brigham health system between March 2020 and May 2021, assessing records for laboratory. Their findings confirmed the Covid-19 tests among mothers and the neurodevelopment diagnoses among their children through age 3.
What does the research say?
The results found that children born to mothers who had Covid-19 during pregnancy were 16 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder than those born to mothers who did not have an infection while pregnant (10 per cent).
The differences in risks were higher in boys and in cases where the mother had gotten the infection during the third trimester.
The authors of the study quoted other studies that have suggested that male fetal brains are more susceptible to maternal immune responses and the third trimester is a "critical window for brain development."
Autism and other disorders
The most common diagnoses found in children were disorders in speech and motor function development and autism. About 2.7 per cent children were born to mothers who had Covid-19 while pregnant and were diagnosed with autism, compared to 1.1 per cent of others.
According to the researchers, these findings are “particularly notable in light of their biological plausibility.” “Parental awareness of the potential for adverse child neurodevelopmental outcomes after Covid-19 in pregnancy is key. By understanding the risks, parents can appropriately advocate for their children to have proper evaluation and support,” said Dr. Lydia Shook, maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and lead author of the study, in a news release.
Covid-19 poses a risk to fetal health
Since the research was conducted early in the pandemic, before the vaccines were widely available, researchers were able to “isolate the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and offspring neurodevelopment in an unvaccinated population.” About 93 per cent of the mothers included in the assessment had not received any doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
This research highlights that like other infections, Covid-19 can also pose a risk not only to the mother, but also to fetal brain development. “They also support the importance of trying to prevent Covid-19 infection in pregnancy and are particularly relevant when public trust in vaccines – including the Covid-19 vaccine – is being eroded,” said Dr. Andrea Edlow, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Mass General Brigham and senior author of the new study, in a news release.
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