Open AccessEpidemiologic characteristics, clinical management and Public Health Implications of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and meta-analysis
Author(s) -
Brijesh Sathian,
Indrajit Banerjee,
Ahammed Mekkodathil,
Edwin van Teijlingen,
Ana Beatriz Pizarro,
Mohammad Asim,
Maraeh Angela Mancha,
Russell Kabir,
Padam Simkhada,
Israel Júnior Borges do Nascimento,
Hanadi Al Hamad
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2091-0800
DOI - 10.3126/nje.v11i4.41911
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , sore throat , pandemic , disease , pediatrics , malaise , epidemiology , outbreak , asymptomatic , systematic review , medline , intensive care medicine , covid-19 , immunology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , virology , genetics , political science , law , biology
Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by the pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, is exponentially spreading across the globe.Methods: The current systematic review was performed utilizing electronic databases i.e. PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE. We searched for the keywords "COVID-19 AND "pregnancy" between January 1st, 2020 until December 31, 2020.Results: Out of 4005 records which were identified, 36 original studies were included in this systematic review. Pooled prevalence of vertical transmission was 10%, 95% CI: 4-17%. Pooled prevalence of neonatal mortality was 7%, 95% CI: 0-21%.Conclusion: The contemporary evidence suggests that the incubation period of COVID-19 is 2-14 days, and this infection could be transmitted even from the infected asymptomatic individuals. It is found that the clinical presentation of pregnant women with COVID-19 infection is comparable with the infected non-pregnant females, and the frequent symptoms were fever, cough, myalgia, sore throat and malaise. There are some cases with severe maternal morbidity and perinatal deaths secondary to COVID-19 infection. Under these circumstances, the pregnant women should focus on maintaining personal hygiene, proper nutrition and extreme social distancing to reduce the risk of COVID-19. Therefore, a systematic data reporting for evidence base clinical assessment, management and pregnancy outcomes is essential for prevention of COVID-19 infection among pregnant women.