Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• . Maryam Sadat Hosseini ¹
• . Afsaneh Hosseini ¹
• . Elnaz Ghaffari ¹
• . Mitra Radfar ²
• . Fariba Shirvani ²
• . Shahrzad Tabatabai ³
• . Dariush Abtahi ⁴
• . Mahsa Mirhadi ¹
• . Maziyar Mortazavi ⁵
• . Shideh Ariana ⁶

¹ Preventative Gynecology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

² Pediatric Infections Research Center, Research Institute for Children Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

³ Department of Pediatric, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Department of Anesthesiology, Imam Hossein General Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran

⁵ Department of Pediatric, Sarem Hospital, Tehran, Iran

⁶ Preventative Gynecology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perinatology Division, Imam Hossein Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus, which is caused by acute respiratory syndrome, appeared in
Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and gradually spread around the world until almost all countries
became infected with the coronavirus. In Iran, the outbreak of coronavirus began on February 21,
2020, with the report of infection of two people in the city of Qom. The aim of this study is to evaluate
the clinical findings of neonates born to pregnant women with corona disease.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: During this case study (February 21 to November 30, 2020), out of
88 pregnant mothers who referred to the hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences,
44 live neonates were born from 42 pregnant women with COVID‑19, who were evaluated for clinical
signs by studying their files and reported as a case series, due to limited samples, No statistical
analysis of the study was performed.
RESULTS: In studies of clinical records of hospitalized mothers and infants, among the polymerase
chain reactions (PCRs) provided for all infants, one PCR was reported positive 2 days after birth,
whereas this infant 10 min after birth, immediately after routine procedures, due to positive mother’s
PCR was isolated from the operating room. However, all of the infant’s clinical symptoms were normal
during the 3‑day hospital stay for routine postpartum care. Twenty‑eight days after birth, the baby
was reevaluated for clinical, laboratory, and chest X‑ray symptoms, all of which were normal. The
PCR of other neonates was negative, and five intubated neonates, two twin, and two single died, and
the other neonates were discharged. In evaluating the clinical records of mothers of these infants,
the mean age is 30 years, and the average gestational age is 35 weeks, 32 cases of caesarean
section, and 10 cases of normal delivery.
CONCLUSION: We describe epidemiological data, demographics, signs and symptoms on
admission, laboratory results, comorbidities, infection COVID‑19 in the mothers and neonates,
chest radiography and computed tomography findings, treatment received for COVID‑19, and
clinical maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. Due to the fact that the study population is
small consist of 42 mothers with COVID‑19 infection, among all PCR samples from infants
born to COVID‑19 positive mothers, the PCR result of one case was positive, and the rest of
was negative. Therefore, vertical transmission of COVID‑19 through the placenta to the fetus
cannot be confirmed or denied, nor can the COVID‑19 confirmed or denied the baby’s postnatal
complication during pregnancy.

Keywords

• Coronavirus
• COVID‑19
• infant
• pregnancy