Clinical outcomes and antibody transfer in a cohort of infants born to mothers with SARS-COV-2 infection during pregnancy (Coronascope Study)

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to describe the outcomes, focusing on the hearing and neurological development, of children born to mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, and to evaluate the persistence of maternal antibodies in the first months of life. Methods:An observational, prospective study at a tertiary hospital in Madrid (Spain) on infants born to mothers infected with SARS CoV-2 during pregnancy between March and September 2020. A follow-up visit at 1-3 months of age with a physical and neurological examination, cranial ultrasound (cUS), SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR on NPS and SARS-CoV-2 serology were performed. Hearing was evaluated at birth through the automated auditory brainstem response and at six months of age through the auditory steady-state response. A neurodevelopmental examination using the Bayley-III scale was performed at 12 months of age. Results:Of 95 infants studied, neurological examination was normal in all of them at the follow-up visit, as was the cUS in 81/85 (95%) infants, with only mild abnormalities in four of them. Serology was positive in 47/95 (50%) infants, which was not associated with symptoms or severity of maternal infection. No hearing loss was detected and neurodevelopment was normal in 96% of the children (median Z score: 0). Conclusions: In this cohort, the majority of infants born to mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy were healthy children with a normal cUS, no hearing loss and normal neurodevelopment in the first year of life. Only half of the infants had a positive serological result during the follow-up.