Pregnant women with COVID-19 infection at higher risk for ICU admission: CDC

Written By : Medha Baranwal |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2020-07-08T08:05:31+05:30 | Updated On 8 July 2020 8:07 AM IST

USA: Pregnant women with COVID-19 infection are more likely to get admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) and receive mechanical ventilation, according to a recent study. The study was highlighted in a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The study was conducted from January 22–June 7, with 326,335 women ages 15-44 testing positive. Of the COVID-19 positive group, 8,207 were pregnant. In the COVID-19 pregnant grouping, Hispanics made up 46.2% of the overall group, whites were 23.0%, blacks made up 22.1%, and Asians made up 3.8%.

Key findings of the study include:

31.5% of pregnant women with COVID-19 were reported to be hospitalized compared to just 5.8% of nonpregnant women.
Pregnant women were more likely to be admitted to the ICU (aRR = 1.5) and receive mechanical ventilation (aRR = 1.7).
Hispanic and black women who are pregnant appear to be at a greater risk to contract COIVD-19.
Pregnant women who are Hispanic and black might be disproportionately affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy.
In terms of mortality, both groups displayed similar results. In the pregnancy group, there were 16 (0.2%) COVID-19–related deaths, and among nonpregnant women, 208 (0.2%) such deaths.

"To reduce severe COVID-19-associated illness, pregnant women should be aware of their potential risk for severe COVID-19 illness," stated the MMWR Report.

A total of 8,207 cases of COVID-19 in pregnant women were reported to CDC as of June 7, 2020, representing approximately 9% of cases among women of reproductive age with data available on pregnancy status.

"Pregnant women with COVID-19 are at increased risk for hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and mechanical ventilation but not death," the report concluded.

The study, "Characteristics of Women of Reproductive Age with Laboratory-Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Pregnancy Status — United States, January 22–June 7, 2020," was published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6925a1

COVID 19pregnant womencoronavirusCDCICU

Source : Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Medha Baranwal

MSc. Biotechnology

Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751