As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to linger, more data are becoming available about what possible links there may be between COVID-19 infection in pregnancy and risks to mothers and their babies. In this study, research teams from around the world came together to study pregnant women with COVID-19 infection to ask what outcomes in mothers or their babies could be linked to COVID-19. Researchers found the risk for preeclampsia was 76% higher in a study group of 706 women who had COVID-19 during pregnancy (compared to a group of pregnant women without COVID-19 diagnosis). In a smaller analysis in their study of only pregnant women with COVID-19 infection but without any symptoms (i.e., asymptomatic), researchers still found a 63% increased risk for preeclampsia in the asymptomatic women. Researchers also found increased risks for severe infection and preterm birth in women with COVID-19 infection in pregnancy. Studies like these are important to understand how COVID-19 illness may affect pregnant women and can be taken into account when making decisions about social distancing, masking, and vaccination.
LINK: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33885740/
Each quarter, our team of researchers reviews the most current studies related to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and selects those studies they feel will be of greatest interest to our community to summarize.
Special thanks to our volunteer research team, who under the leadership of Dr. Elizabeth Sutton, make Research Roundup possible: Alisse Hauspurg, MD Felicia LeMoine, MD Jenny Sones, PhD, DVM, and Robin Trupp, PhD, RN.
Your story is needed to improve outcomes for moms like you. Add your voice to critical preeclampsia research to ensure that every story is heard.
Frequently asked questions about the Preeclampsia Registry, a patient-driven registry and biobank.
The Preeclampsia Foundation offers research funding, study recruitment, and other patient engagement services to researchers.
We provide research grant funding to advance progress towards detection, prevention, or treatment of preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy that can affect a woman’s health beyond pregnancy. For a long time, it has been clear that women who experience preeclampsia have a greater ch...
Black women in the United States experience preeclampsia more often and are more likely to experience severe complications from it than White women. Traditional risk factors, such as high blood pressu...
High blood pressure disorders during pregnancy, including preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, are common complications that affect approximately 5–10% of pregnancies. Although these condi...
Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure and can harm organs like the kidneys, liver, and brain. It affects thousands of pregnancies every year and remains one...
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, such as high blood pressure during pregnancy, are a major cause of illness and death for mothers. It is important to find women who are at risk as early as possibl...
