Increased risk of fetal left-right asymmetry disorders associated with maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first trimester.

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011-

COVID-19*/epidemiology ; COVID-19*/complications ; Pregnancy Trimester, First* ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious*/epidemiology ; SARS-CoV-2*; Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Case-Control Studies ; China/epidemiology ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal ; Risk Factors ; Fetus/virology ; Fetal Diseases/epidemiology ; Fetal Diseases/virology

Our center has observed a substantial increase in the detection rate of fetal left-right(LR) asymmetry disorders between March and May 2023. This finding has raised concerns because these pregnant women experienced the peak outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in China during their first trimester. To explore the relationship between maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection and fetal LR asymmetry disorders. A retrospective collection of clinical and ultrasound data diagnosed as fetal LR asymmetry disorders was conducted from January 2018 to December 2023. The case-control study involved fetuses with LR asymmetry disorders and normal fetuses in a 1:1 ratio. We evaluated and compared the clinical and fetal ultrasound findings in pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection and pregnant women without infection. The Student t-test was utilized to compare continuous variables, while the chi-squared test was employed for univariable analyses. The incidence rate of LR asymmetry disorders from 2018 to 2023 was as follows: 0.17‰, 0.63‰, 0.61‰, 0.57‰, 0.59‰, and 3.24‰, respectively. A total of 30 fetuses with LR asymmetry disorders and 30 normal fetuses were included. This case-control study found that SARS-CoV-2 infection (96.67% vs 3.33%, P = .026) and infection during the first trimester (96.55% vs 3.45%, P = .008) were identified as risk factors. The odds ratio values were 10.545 (95% CI 1.227, 90.662) and 13.067 (95% CI 1.467, 116.419) respectively. In cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first trimester, the majority of infections (88.1%, 37/42) occurred between 5 and 6 weeks of gestation. We found that 43.7% (66/151) of fetuses with LR asymmetry disorder had associated malformations, 90.9% (60/66) exhibited cardiac malformations. SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first trimester significantly increases the risk of fetal LR asymmetry disorders, particularly when the infection occurs between 5 and 6 gestation weeks. The most common associated malformation is heart malformation.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)

Erratum in: Sci Rep. 2024 Jul 18;14(1):16602. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-67864-3. (PMID: 39025945)

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Keywords: Fetal; Left–right asymmetry disorders; SARS-CoV-2; Ultrasound

Date Created: 20240519 Date Completed: 20240519 Latest Revision: 20240718

20240719

PMC11102919

10.1038/s41598-024-61778-w

38763951