A new study shows the pregnant women affected by SARS COVID -19 is at higher risk of pre-eclampsia.
A research article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, titled “SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent development of pre-eclampsia and preterm birth: evidence of a dose-response relationship supporting causality”, reveals the higher risk of Pre-eclampsia in pregnant women exposed to covid-19.
Post covid, the pregnant women show the symptoms of pre-eclampsia, which leads to maternal and infant death.
According to the research, there is a 62 per cent higher risk in women during pregnancy, infected with coronavirus to show the symptoms of pre-eclampsia, than the other women who were not infected.
Dr Romero and Agustin Conde-Agudelo, M.D., M.P.H., PhD, adjunct professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, published their research after reviewing 28 studies which included 290,954 pregnant women in which 15,524 women were those infected with COVID-19.
Romero says this association was remarkably consistent across all predefined subgroups. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy was associated with a significant increase in the odds of pre-eclampsia with severe features, eclampsia and HELLP syndrome.”
He adds that pre-eclampsia is at a higher risk in both symptomatic and asymptomatic infection, but the observation shows more trouble in symptomatic patients.
The study was carried out in the United Kingdom with the data collected from 14 National Health Services (N.H.S.) maternity hospitals.
The investigation started to assess the changes made by SARS CoV 2 infection in a pregnant woman. On the completion of the study, it revealed the risk of pre-eclampsia.
What is Pre-eclampsia?
Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy complication in which there may be high blood pressure and can lead to damage in other organs, mainly the liver and kidneys. The stage of pre-eclampsia begins at the twentieth week of pregnancy.
Without proper treatment, pre-eclampsia can lead to death. In this condition, there is a higher risk for the baby as well as the mother. The best treatment is to deliver the baby; the pre-eclampsia stage declines once delivery is over.
If this happens at the early stage of pregnancy, it will be challenging to go further, and there is a high risk of losing the baby or mother or both. There is a slight chance of developing pre-eclampsia after delivery in some cases, which is known as postpartum pre-eclampsia.
As per the record of the pre-eclampsia foundation, this condition is responsible for 76,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 infant deaths in a year worldwide.
Symptoms of Pre-eclampsia
There are several symptoms of pre-eclampsia condition; some of them are:
- High Blood pressure
- High protein content in urine
- Changes in vision
- Nausea or vomiting
- Abdominal pain under ribs
- Shortness of breath
- Impaired liver function
- Decreased urine level
HELLP Syndrome
HELLP syndrome is a severe condition of pre-eclampsia, including rupturing of red blood cells, haemolysis and elevated liver enzyme. In this condition, the platelet count may be meagre, which can sometimes cause bleeding and blood clotting.
The authors say experts must do a further detailed study on the connection between COVID- 19 and the pre-eclampsia stage.
Conclusion and also recommends that health care workers be aware of this condition and take care of pregnant ladies affected with SARS CoV 2 infection.
Another study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology-Maternal-Foetal Medicine reports that women who get the shot of mRNA vaccine of COIVD-19 seem to pass high antibody levels to babies.
The study with 36 newborns whose mother received shots of Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna COVID- 19 vaccine during pregnancy results with centennial per cent of infants with protective antibodies within them at birth.
