Maternal COVID infections may affect newborn heart development

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COVID-19
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Maternal COVID-19 infection during pregnancy may adversely affect the development of the newborn's heart, resulting in congenital heart defects (CHD), researchers suggested yesterday in Scientific Reports.

The study was based on outcomes seen among women who gave birth at the Shanxi Province Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Hospital in China in 2023. The study included 119 pregnant women with COVID-19 and 412 pregnant women with no recorded COVID infections.

The two cohorts did not have a significant difference in adverse obstetric history, which was observed in 1.68% of the COVID-19 cases and 3.16% of the controls. Similarly, the incidence of diabetes, thyroid disease, and preeclampsia were not significantly different. 

The researchers did, however, find a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of cardiac ultrasound abnormalities: 10.08% of the newborns in the COVID-19 group had abnormalities, compared with 4.13% in the control group.

Among 12 infants with cardiac ultrasound abnormalities in the COVID group, 11 cases involved mothers who were infected before 8 weeks of pregnancy, while 1 case involved infection at 23 weeks of pregnancy.

Abnormal cardiac findings rising since pandemic 

The authors also analyzed the prevalence of CHD in newborns at the hospital since 2020.

The data demonstrate an increasing trend in the incidence of CHD over the 4 years.

"The data demonstrate an increasing trend in the incidence of CHD over the 4 years, with a notable rise during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023. The incidence rate of CHD in 2023, during the COVID-19 pandemic, was significantly higher at 5.46% compared to previous years," they wrote. The incidence in 2020 was 1.12%.

"The significant increase in congenital abnormalities during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the early gestational infections associated with specific types of cardiac abnormalities, emphasizes the need for ongoing monitoring and support for children born during the pandemic," the authors concluded. 

Quick Takes: Polio vaccines in Gaza, dengue in Los Angeles County

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Dengue
Polio
  • A large-scale polio vaccination campaign in Gaza has been postponed due to increasing violence, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The campaign is on its final leg and was supposed to reach 119,279 children across northern Gaza this week. "The current conditions, including ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure continue to jeopardize people’s safety and movement in northern Gaza, making it impossible for families to safely bring their children for vaccination," the WHO said. Gaza reported its first polio case in 25 years in August, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. To date, 442,855 children under 10 years have been successfully vaccinated in central and south Gaza, representing 94% of the target.
  • The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reports one more dengue case in the Baldwin Park cluster, bringing the total number of cases to 6. The new case raises the county's total of locally acquired dengue to 9 for the season. All infected patients had no history of travel to places where dengue is common prior to their symptoms. 


 

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