Editorial Ciencia, Jan 16 (EFE).- Pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 face a risk of death seven times greater than those who do not contract the virus and are more likely to be admitted to intensive care, according to a study that stresses the importance of vaccination against covid-19 for all women of childbearing age.
These are two of the conclusions of a meta-analysis with data from 12 studies from 12 countries, including Spain and the United States, in which 13,136 women have participated. The results, which also show increased risks for babies, are published in BMJ Global Health.
“This study provides the most comprehensive evidence to date to suggest that covid-19 is a threat during pregnancy,” summarizes Emily R. Smith, of the George Washington University Milken Institute and lead author of the study.
“Our findings -he adds- underline the importance of vaccination against covid-19 for all women of childbearing age.”
Despite increasing knowledge about the risks of this disease during pregnancy, many women of childbearing age remain unvaccinated.
In some cases, they hesitate or refuse to receive the vaccine or the booster dose because they do not believe that covid-19 poses risks or they are not convinced of its safety during pregnancy, recalls a note from the American university.
Some doctors may even hesitate to give the vaccine to a pregnant woman, even if it is recommended, Smith says.
The researchers scrutinized data from pregnant women from Ghana, China-Hong Kong, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Turkey, Uganda and the United States.
They found that, compared with uninfected pregnant women, pregnant women with covid-19 infection had a seven times higher risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth, and a nearly four times higher risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit. .
Also, a 15 times greater risk of needing ventilator treatment and 23 times more likely to develop pneumonia.
For thromboembolic disease, or blood clots, which can cause pain, swelling, or other life-threatening complications, the danger is more than five times higher.
Babies born to women with covid-19 infection were almost twice as likely to be admitted to a neonatal care unit; almost three times more likely to be born moderately preterm (before 34 weeks); and 19% more likely to have low birth weight.
But, unlike the results of previous reviews, covid-19 infection was not associated with an increased risk of stillbirth at 28 weeks of pregnancy or more, nor with restricted growth.
According to Smith, despite the very serious health risks, more than 80 countries still do not recommend that all pregnant and lactating women receive the covid vaccine: “All countries, including the United States, should make access to covid vaccines a urgent priority to save lives and prevent health problems”.
The research was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. EFE
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