The clinical course of COVID-19 in pregnant and non-pregnant women

Abstract

Aims: Pregnancy is a physiological condition that predisposes women to respiratory complications of viral infections thus, bringing the risk of developing more severe disease. The aim of this research was to elucidate the clinical course of COVID-19 in pregnant and non-pregnant women of childbearing age. Mortality rate, laboratory parameters, the occurence of cytokine storm in both groups and the response to treatment have been investigated. Methods: A total of 88 women of childbearing age with a diagnosis of COVID-19 disease has been retrospectively analyzed. Age, comorbidity, length of stay in the intensive care unit and treatment regimen of patients have been obtained from hospital database. Ferritin, IL-6, CRP, procalcitonin, D-dimer, urea, creatinine, GFR, ALT, AST, LDH, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, white blood cell count were evaluated. Clinical response such as reduction in oxygen requirement and vasopressor utilization before and after treatment were examined Results: The rate of RT - PCR positive results were statistical significantly higher in pregnant women (p=0.003). The median WBC, lymphocyte and leukocyte values of the pregnant patients were higher (p=0.038, p=0.006 and p=0.035, respectively). The median hemoglobin, LDH and ferritin values of pregnant women were lower than those of non-pregnant individuals (p=0.032, p