Affiliations: [a] Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, USA
| [b] Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, USA
| [c] University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, USA
| [d] Department of Health System Research, Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas, TX, USA
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Julide Sisman, MD, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Dallas, TX 75390-9063, United States. Tel.: +1 214 648 2009; Fax: +1 214 648 3906; E-mail: julide.sisman@utsouthwestern.edu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Several reports demonstrated that perinatal SARS-CoV-2 has significant impact on maternal and neonatal health outcomes. However, the relationship between severity of maternal illness with outcomes remains less clear. METHODS:This is a single-center retrospective cohort study of mother/infant dyads with positive maternal test for SARS-CoV-2 between 14 days prior and 3 days after delivery from 3/30/2020 to 12/28/2021. RESULTS:Among 538 mothers, those with moderate/severe/critical illness were more likely to undergo induction, receive oxygen, mechanical ventilation or ECMO. Mortality was significantly higher among the mothers with severe illness than asymptomatic and those with mild illness (6% vs 0% and 0%, respectively, P < 0.05). Neonates born to mothers with moderate/severe/critical illness were more likely to be preterm with lower birth weight, and to be admitted to the NICU (P < 0.05) but not to be small for gestational age. Mild maternal illness was only associated with NICU admission for isolation precaution and decreased rate of breastfeeding. CONCLUSIONS:Maternal illness severity was significantly associated with prematurity and several adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.
