COVID to influence the incidence of Prematurity

Covid-19 or SARS-CoV-2 infection may increase preterm births by increasing preeclampsia and medically-indicated preterm births, but its effects on spontaneous preterm births are unknown. Infection is the most common identified etiological contributor to spontaneous preterm births at less than 28 weeks gestation.

New York was the first epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection exploded in March 2020, with a surge in the urban center. L researchers compared the incidence of extreme prematurity with and without preeclampsia in 2020 with 2019 in a large cross-sectional study of hospitals in the New York City.

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology proposes a study that multiple biological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and environmental changes during the pandemic exert competing effects on the preterm birth rate. The effects of the pandemic in New York were different in urban and suburban populations. Total prematurity decreased at suburban sites, driven by significant decreases in extreme prematurity. In contrast, at urban sites, total and extreme prematurity remained unchanged, and moderate prematurity increased.