Clinical Features of Pregnant Women and Neonates with COVID-19 in Wuhan: a paired comparison study

Abstract

Background Our study aimed to find symptoms unique in pregnancy and to help the early diagnosis in pregnant women and to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 in postpartum women and their newborns. Methods Clinical data were reviewed and collected for 11 pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were consecutively admitted to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University and Women and Children’s Hospital of Hubei Province, from Jan 26 to Feb 26, 2020. Results All the confirmed women didn’t have any exposure history and their early symptoms were mildly elevated temperate and fatigue. The chest CT scans of confirmed women can be atypical manifestations, such as bilateral pleural effusions and slightly increased densities. Eight of eleven confirmed women did not feel anything unusual until abnormalities were found on chest CT scans on admission screening test. All three groups had elevated white blood cell count, neutrophil count and lactate dehydrogenase, and reduced total protein.The infection did not increase the risk for premature delivery, premature rupture of membrane, or comorbidities in pregnancy. Conclusions Pregnant women were often asymptomatic and accidentally detected abnormalities on chest CT scan on admission which emphasize the importance of CT scan in prevalent areas of the COVID-19. Even after the laboratory confirmation, the manifestation of the CT scan could be atypical, which alerted the necessity of protection for healthcare workers. The COVID-19 did not increase the risk of complications in pregnant women and their neonates. Trial registration: This case series was approved by the institutional ethics board of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University (No. 2020020) and Women and Children’s Hospital of Hubei Province(NO. LW035).