Covid-19 Infection During Pregnancy Linked to Higher Risk of Neurodevelopment Disorders in Children

Pregnant women infected with Covid-19 may pass on a higher risk of neurodevelopment disorders to their children, according to a new study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. The researchers analyzed over 18,000 births and found that children born to mothers with Covid-19 during pregnancy were more likely to be diagnosed with neurodevelopment disorders, including autism, than those born to uninfected mothers. The risk was particularly pronounced in boys and in cases where the mother had a Covid-19 infection during the third trimester.

Key Takeaways:

• Children born to mothers with Covid-19 during pregnancy are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with neurodevelopment disorders, with a 16% risk compared to less than 10% for uninfected mothers.
• The risk of neurodevelopment disorders is 1.3 times higher for children born to mothers with Covid-19, after adjusting for other risk factors.
• The risk is particularly pronounced in boys and in cases where the mother had a Covid-19 infection during the third trimester.
• The most common diagnoses include disorders in speech and motor function development and autism.
• About 2.7% of children born to mothers with Covid-19 were diagnosed with autism, compared to about 1.1% of others.
• The study's findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that male fetal brains are more susceptible to maternal immune responses.

Statistics:

• 16% of children born to mothers with Covid-19 during pregnancy were diagnosed with neurodevelopment disorders.
• Less than 10% of children born to uninfected mothers were diagnosed with neurodevelopment disorders.
• The risk of neurodevelopment disorders is 1.3 times higher for children born to mothers with Covid-19.
• 93% of mothers included in the study had not received any doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
• About 1 in 31 children in the US was diagnosed with autism by age 8 in 2022.
• The increase in autism diagnosis from 1 in 36 in 2020 to 1 in 31 in 2022 continues a long-term trend attributed to better understanding and screening.

Sources:

• Deidre McPhillips, CNN, November 2022
• "Association Between Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Offspring Neurodevelopment," Obstetrics and Gynecology, November 2022
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services, April 2022
• President Donald Trump, US Department of Health and Human Services, September 2022
• Andrea Edlow and Lydia Shook, Massachusetts General Hospital, November 2022