Clinical manifestations, maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with COVID- 19: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus has become a worldwide epidemic and can spread rapidly. Pregnant women and infants are more vulnerable due to weak immune systems. This study was performed with aim to review the clinical manifestations, maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19. Methods: In this review study, to find the related studies, databases of Pubmed, Scopus, Medrxiv, and Web of Science were searched from the first of 2019 until January 30, 2021 using the keywords of Corona virus, pregnancy outcomes with all possible combinations and their English equivalents. Boolean operators (AND, NOT, OR) were used to search the databases. According to Strobe criteria, the studies which received high and medium quality evaluation were included in the study and reviewed. Results: Out a total of 3771 studies, 17 were included in this review. 4494 pregnant women were corona positive in 9 different countries. The most common symptoms of corona virus in mothers were fever and cough, and the neonatal complication of the virus included preterm delivery and respiratory distress. Most deliveries were by cesarean section and most patients used antibiotics and antiviral drugs for treatment. There was not much evidence to support the vertical transmission of Covid-19 through vaginal delivery. The most common diagnostic test for Covid-19 disease was PCR. Conclusion: In most studies, the increase in cesarean delivery was due to fetal distress. However, due to the vulnerability of these two groups, preventive and precautionary measures should be considered and more emphasis should be done on educating people.

Keywords

• coronavirus
• infants
• pregnancy