TY - JOUR
T1 - Physical development of infants born to patients with COVID-19 during pregnancy
T2 - 2 years of age
AU - Eligulashvili, Anna
AU - Gordon, Moshe
AU - Nemerofsky, Sheri
AU - Havranek, Tomas
AU - Bernstein, Peter
AU - Yee, Judy
AU - Hou, Wei
AU - Duong, Tim
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2024 Eligulashvili et al.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and pandemic circumstances could negatively impact infant development. This study aimed to investigate the physical development, common pediatric illness incidence, and healthcare utilization over the first 2 years of life of infants born to COVID+ and COVID- patients. Comparisons were also made with infants born pre-pandemic. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study at a major academic health system in New York City. Participants include all infants born to birthing persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy (N = 758) and without (N = 9,345) from 03/01/2020 to 08/17/2022, infants born pre-pandemic (N = 3,221) from 03/01/ 2017 to 08/17/2019, and birthing persons of all infants. Results: There were no differences in weight, length, or head circumference curves between pandemic infants born to COVID+ and COVID- patients over the first 2 years of life (p > 0.05, repeated ANOVA). Annualized incidence of illness occurrence and healthcare utilization were similar between groups. Compared to pre-pandemic infants, the length of pandemic (COVID-) infants was lower from birth to 9 months (p < 0.0001). Pandemic infants additionally had more adverse perinatal outcomes including increased stillbirth (0.75% vs. 0.12%, p = 0.0001) and decreased gestational age (38.41 ± 2.71 vs. 38.68 ± 2.55 weeks, Cohen’s d = −0.10, p < 0.0001), birthweight (2,597 ± 335 vs. 3,142 ± 643 g, Cohen’s d = −1.06, p < 0.0001), and birth length (48.08 ± 4.61 vs. 49.09 ± 3.93 cm, Cohen’s d = −0.24, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Birthing persons’ SARS-CoV-2 infection status, birthing persons’ profiles, and pandemic circumstances negatively affected perinatal outcomes, newborn physical development, and healthcare utilization. These findings draw clinical attention to the need to follow infants closely and implement enrichment to ensure optimal developmental outcomes.
AB - Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and pandemic circumstances could negatively impact infant development. This study aimed to investigate the physical development, common pediatric illness incidence, and healthcare utilization over the first 2 years of life of infants born to COVID+ and COVID- patients. Comparisons were also made with infants born pre-pandemic. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study at a major academic health system in New York City. Participants include all infants born to birthing persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy (N = 758) and without (N = 9,345) from 03/01/2020 to 08/17/2022, infants born pre-pandemic (N = 3,221) from 03/01/ 2017 to 08/17/2019, and birthing persons of all infants. Results: There were no differences in weight, length, or head circumference curves between pandemic infants born to COVID+ and COVID- patients over the first 2 years of life (p > 0.05, repeated ANOVA). Annualized incidence of illness occurrence and healthcare utilization were similar between groups. Compared to pre-pandemic infants, the length of pandemic (COVID-) infants was lower from birth to 9 months (p < 0.0001). Pandemic infants additionally had more adverse perinatal outcomes including increased stillbirth (0.75% vs. 0.12%, p = 0.0001) and decreased gestational age (38.41 ± 2.71 vs. 38.68 ± 2.55 weeks, Cohen’s d = −0.10, p < 0.0001), birthweight (2,597 ± 335 vs. 3,142 ± 643 g, Cohen’s d = −1.06, p < 0.0001), and birth length (48.08 ± 4.61 vs. 49.09 ± 3.93 cm, Cohen’s d = −0.24, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Birthing persons’ SARS-CoV-2 infection status, birthing persons’ profiles, and pandemic circumstances negatively affected perinatal outcomes, newborn physical development, and healthcare utilization. These findings draw clinical attention to the need to follow infants closely and implement enrichment to ensure optimal developmental outcomes.
KW - Infant development
KW - Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection
KW - Perinatal outcomes
KW - in utero COVID-19 exposure
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U2 - 10.7717/peerj.18481
DO - 10.7717/peerj.18481
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85209945850
SN - 2167-8359
VL - 12
JO - PeerJ
JF - PeerJ
IS - 11
M1 - :e18481
ER -