PERINATAL CONSEQUENCES OF COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2): A LITERATURE REVIEW (PART II)

Abstract

Relevance: In the settings of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, more and more women giving birth have already had this disease at different gestational stages, with varying degrees of severity and volume of therapy in the acute period. So, monitoring the development of the fetus, the course of pregnancy, and perinatal consequences in this group of patients becomes an important area of research. So far, there are very few such studies, and they address only certain conditions like the frequency of premature births and missed pregnancies, fetal malformations, and the state of the fetoplacental complex (placenta, amniotic fluid, fetal condition, etc.). Therefore, studies of the impact of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) on the health of a pregnant woman, fetus, and newborn are without a doubt very relevant today. The study aimed to analyze current data on the impact of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) on the state of the fetus and possible routes of infection ante-, intra-, and postnatally to forecast the directions and prospects for future research. Methods: The search for scientific publications over the past two years was made in PubMed by the following keywords: “fetus,” “vertical transmission of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)”. Results: The second part of the article examines the probability of infection and the distribution of cases according to the severity of perinatal consequences. Theories of the pathogenesis of obstetric and fetal complications of infection during pregnancy are considered. The circle of potential further scientific research is outlined. Conclusion: Analysis of available sources revealed the lack of a unified classification of COVID-19 disease and related complications in pregnant women and newborns. Therefore, healthcare systems shall develop unified national terminology and classification of COVID-19 during pregnancy. Further research into the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy is urgently needed, as well as the creation of national registries of pregnancy cases in women with COVID-19 and the implementation of a unified terminology and algorithms for diagnosing and treating COVID-19 and its complications in pregnant women and newborns. Studying the possible negative consequences of COVID-19 and developing appropriate therapeutic and preventive measures is an extremely important task for obstetric science. A separate area of research should be the study of the state of health, the course of pregnancy, and perinatal consequences in vaccinated women.