A study has found that being infected with the coronavirus during pregnancy increases the risk of neurodevelopment, such as autism spectrum disorder, in a child born.
These effects were particularly concentrated in male children, and experts say that long follow-up measures are needed for pregnant women and children who have been infected with the corona.
On the 26th local time, JAMA Network open published the results of a large-scale study on the effect of corona infection during pregnancy on a child (10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.4415).
As the corona pandemic goes over to endemic, the research in the medical system is also shifting weight due to long covid and its aftereffects.
In particular, the medical community is constantly paying attention to how it affects the child if the mother is infected with corona.
In some studies, it has been reported that being infected with corona during pregnancy can cause a disability in the child’s neurodevelopment, but this is because opinions are mixed as opposite studies are also coming out.
It is because of this background that a research team led by Professor Andrea G. Edlow of Harvard Medical School started a follow-up study on this.
In fact, it is to check whether corona infection during pregnancy directly affects the child.
Accordingly, the research team followed and observed the effect of corona infection on the child for 18,355 mothers who gave birth during the corona pandemic.
As a result, 3% of babies of mothers who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy were diagnosed with neurodevelopment within 12 months of age. A child of a mother who did not get corona is a significant percentage compared to staying at 1.8%.
Even if all other factors such as race, mother’s age, and premature birth were excluded, corona infection had a great impact on the child.
In particular, these results showed significant differences according to the sex of the child. Boys are affected more strongly than girls.
In fact, if the child born after being infected with corona during pregnancy was a male, the risk of being diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder was 1.94 times, almost doubled.
However, if the child born after being infected with COVID-19 is a female child, the risk is somewhat lower. Conversely, a 10% lower risk of neurodevelopmental disorders compared to the mean (OR=0.89).
However, even in boys, if these signs did not appear by 18 months, the risk of being diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder was reduced by 1.42 times.
Professor Andrea explained, “This is a result that clearly supports previous studies that corona infection during pregnancy can affect neurodevelopment, such as autism spectrum disorder.”
“Due to these risks, a longer follow-up and observation of mothers and children who are infected with COVID-19 are needed,” he said.
