Preeclampsia Risk from COVID-19 Infection in Pregnant Women

The leading cause for the death of the babies and mothers during pregnancy because of COVID is figured out. Preeclampsia is a complication arising in pregnant women with hypertension that may lead to multiple organ failure in due course of time, a study finds.

The most common symptom of preeclampsia in the COVID-19 affected women is edema - swelling in different parts of the body and primarily in the ankles, limbs, and feet.

‘About 20 weeks after pregnancy, the sudden increase in blood pressure levels of the COVID-19 infected women could be preeclampsia which entails high risks to maternal and infant health.’

According to the study reports published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, pregnant women with the SARS-CoV-2 have 62% larger chances of catching up with preeclampsia compared to those who did not acquire the infection.

"Both asymptomatic and symptomatic infection significantly increased the risk of preeclampsia," Dr. Roberto Romero, M.D., DMedSci, chief of the Perinatology Research Branch and professor of Molecular Obstetrics and Genetics at the Wayne State University School of Medicine said. "Nevertheless, the odds of developing preeclampsia were higher among patients with symptomatic illness than among those with asymptomatic illness."

Complications of Preeclampsia

Just after twenty weeks of pregnancy, a sharp increase in mothers' blood pressure is a warning sign of preeclampsia. In addition to that, pregnant women with the condition also experience blurred vision, breathing difficulties, headaches, and pain in the chest. The condition can aggravate well within a short time, and the worst part is that there are no symptoms reported in a few cases.

The alarming rise in the number of mothers and babies who have died because of the condition is a cause of concern. The whooping high numbers of mothers died because of preeclampsia exceeds 76,000 and more than 500,000 newborns have also died so far for the same cause, according to the reports from the Preeclampsia Foundation.

The condition can affect the brain, kidney, and liver while some mothers are also prone to seizures and intracranial hemorrhage. Intracranial hemorrhage is the major reason for death in most pregnant mothers, as per the reports.

There are possibilities for women with preeclampsia to develop blindness. The newborns of the mothers with preeclampsia, are also affected - grow weaker with less weight or sometimes die earlier in the uterus.

More difficulty is experienced in mothers with preeclampsia and their babies if preeclampsia onslaught is too early in the pregnancy period. Women do not feel the disease until the condition gets worsened internally to threaten their life in due course of time. Acute blood clots in the brain, acute renal failure, and cardiac issues are quite common in pregnant women with preeclampsia.

Even though further studies are on to zoom into the actual mechanisms that drive the condition in the pregnant women with COVID-19, it is advised by the healthcare experts to closely monitor mothers and detect problems in advance to address earlier.

Source: Medindia