Novel coronavirus disease 2019 and perinatal outcomes

Irani, Morvarid; Pakfetrat, Ali; Mask, Mahin Kiyani

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Given the prevalence of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the lack of information on coronavirus and pregnancy, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of COVID-19 and perinatal outcomes in pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present review article, the search process was conducted on English and Persian scientific databases of PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Magiran, Irandoc, Iranmedx, and SID as well as the websites of international organizations of World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention using the main keywords of “Pregnancy,” “Perinatal outcomes,” “Coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” “MERS-CoV,” “MERS,” “SARS-CoV-2,” and “SARS-CoV-1” and their Persian-equivalent keywords from inception until March 16 2020. RESULTS: The findings of studies on mothers with COVID-19 were limited, and insufficient information is available on the adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19. In cases of infection with other coronaviruses such as Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome during pregnancy, there have been reports on adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm labor, low birth weight, and congenital malformations following high fever in the first trimester. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women may be more susceptible to viral respiratory infections, including COVID-19, due to immunological and physiological changes. Therefore, pregnant women should take routine preventive measures, such as washing their hands frequently and avoiding contact with infected people, to prevent infection.