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Publications

Journal Article Observational Study Epublish

PubMed: 39553723 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.18481

Physical development of infants born to patients with COVID-19 during pregnancy: 2 years of age.

PeerJ 12:e18481

Authors: Anna Eligulashvili, Moshe Gordon, Sheri Nemerofsky, Tomas Havranek, Peter Bernstein, Judy Yee, Wei Hou, Tim Duong

Affiliations

  • Radiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Morris Park, NY, United States.
  • Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York, United States.
  • Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States.

Abstract

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 ( = 758) and without ( = 9,345) from 03/01/2020 to 08/17/2022, infants born pre-pandemic ( = 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 ( > 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 ( < 0.0001). Pandemic infants additionally had more adverse perinatal outcomes including increased stillbirth (0.75% . 0.12%, = 0.0001) and decreased gestational age (38.41 ± 2.71 . 38.68 ± 2.55 weeks, Cohen's d = -0.10, < 0.0001), birthweight (2,597 ± 335 . 3,142 ± 643 g, Cohen's d = -1.06, < 0.0001), and birth length (48.08 ± 4.61 . 49.09 ± 3.93 cm, Cohen's d = -0.24, < 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.

MeSH

Pregnancy, Parturition, Incidence, Covid-19, Pandemics, Infections, Infant