A new analysis from Oxford Population Health has found that pregnant women that are 30 years old or more, overweight, of mixed ethnicity or have gestational diabetes have a greater risk of contracting severe COVID-19, which poses significant risks for both mother and baby.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing evidence has shown that severe COVID-19 infection in pregnant women significantly raises the risk of adverse outcomes for both mother and baby.

Today, researchers from Oxford Population Health's National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) have published a new analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 infection on pregnancy. In addition, the study identifies several risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 infection in pregnant women, which could help clinicians to identify the most vulnerable women. The results are published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.

The study used data from the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS), which collects information from all 194 UK hospitals with a consultant-led maternity unit. All pregnant women admitted to hospital with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between 1 March 2020 and 31 October 2021 were included in the analysis.

Read more at University of Oxford

Photo Credit: Pexels via Pixabay