Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains a global threat. The clinical course of the infection in pregnant women and its impact on their fetuses are currently discussed topics among medical specialists.
Aim: The aim of this article is to evaluate the clinical course of COVID-19 in pregnant women and assess the effects of the disease on their fetuses.
Material and Methods: Ten pregnant women in the third trimester with COVID-19, hospitalised at the labour ward of St. Anna Hospital in Varna were examined between November 2020 and May 2021. A clinical and laboratory study was conducted. The nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected and tested positive using reversed transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (COVID-19 real-time PCR). Cardiotocography and abdominal ultrasound were used to evaluate the fetuses’ condition. Statistic methods were used for data processing.
Results: The clinical presentation of coronavirus infection of the ten hospitalized pregnant women with COVID-19 includes fever, cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. The laboratory tests revealed absolute lymphopenia, elevated C-reactive protein, and elevated D-dimer. All women showed evidence of hypoxemia, accompanied in 90% of cases by respiratory alkalosis. No signs of preterm birth or presence of fetal distress were established.
Conclusion: The clinical course of COVID-19 showed no difference in pregnant women and non-pregnant individuals. However, the physiological adaptation to pregnancy with its clinical and laboratory variations may make assessing the effects of COVID-19 on pregnant women difficult. In mild and moderate cases, COVID-19 does not aggravate the course of pregnancy and does not threaten the fetal condition. Additional systematic studies are needed to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on pregnant women.
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