BREAKING NEWS! Offspring Of Pregnant Women With COVID-19 Will Likely Have Altered Brain Developments Especially Males!
Thailand Medical - Offspring - Pregnant Women - COVID-19 - Altered Brain Developments - Males! Jul 03, 2023 1 year, 4 months, 2 weeks, 5 days, 8 hours, 18 minutes ago
Children Born To Pregnant Women With COVID-19 Will Likely Develop Neurodevelopmental And Neuropsychiatric Disorders As Well As Intellectual Disabilities!
Thailand Medical: Recent research conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston has revealed a concerning association between pregnant women with COVID-19 and altered brain development in their offspring, particularly among males. The study, which included a cohort of 18,355 infants born after February 2020, found that male children born to mothers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy were more likely to receive a neurodevelopmental diagnosis within the first year after birth, even after accounting for preterm delivery.
These study findings highlight a potential increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders among male offspring exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in utero.
The study aimed to determine whether exposure to the virus during pregnancy had sex-specific effects on the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders compared to unexposed offspring born before or during the COVID-19 pandemic.The retrospective cohort study included live offspring from mothers who delivered between January 2018 and May 2021 at eight hospitals in Massachusetts. Out of the 18,355 live births, 4.8% had mothers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy. The cohort consisted of individuals from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, with a higher prevalence among White individuals (69.3%).
After adjusting for various factors such as race, ethnicity, insurance status, hospital type, maternal age, and preterm status, the study found a statistically significant elevation in the risk of neurodevelopmental diagnoses at 12 months among male offspring exposed to maternal SARS-CoV-2 (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.94). However, there was no significant association between maternal SARS-CoV-2 positivity and neurodevelopmental diagnoses in female offspring (adjusted OR, 0.89).
Although the effects on male offspring were more pronounced at 12 months, a more modest increase in risk was observed at 18 months (adjusted OR, 1.42). These results suggest the importance of larger cohorts and longer follow-up periods to accurately estimate the persistent effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on neurodevelopment.
Prior studies have also demonstrated associations between maternal infection during pregnancy and increased risks of neurodevelopmental disorders. Notably, a Swedish study found a 30% increase in the risk of autism spectrum disorder among offspring of women with an infection diagnosis during pregnancy. Animal models have also shown that viral and bacterial infections during pregnancy, as well as maternal immune activation, can lead to various neurodevelopmental morbidities in offspring.
The study's findings are particularly concerning due to the critical need to understand the potential long-term consequences of maternal exposure to SARS-CoV-2 on offspring.
Co-author of the study, Dr Roy Perlis, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital told
Thailand Medical News, “For the young children in this study, it
's way too soon to reliably diagnose autism. All we can hope to detect at this point are more subtle sorts of things like delays in language and speech, and delays in motor milestones as well as intellectual disabilities!”
Evidence suggests that even without direct infection of the central nervous system, the virus may exert persistent effects on the brain. Additionally, sex-specific responses to maternal exposures have been implicated in the prevalence of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.
The research also aligns with previous studies indicating that the developing male brain is more vulnerable to in utero environmental effects and maternal immune activation. Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection has been shown to activate the immune response at the maternal-fetal interface, potentially affecting placental immune response and the developing fetal brain. These changes can have sex-specific impacts on offspring behavior and increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.
While some studies have reported no significant increase in overall neurodevelopmental impairment among SARS-CoV-2-exposed offspring, they have identified specific areas of concern, such as fine motor impairment.
The present study's findings build on previous research by highlighting the sex-specific risks associated with maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection and emphasizing the need for larger-scale studies with longer follow-up periods.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: JAMA Network Open.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2802745
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-news-covid-19-exposure-during-pregnancy-leads-to-epigenetic-changes-in-newborns,-paving-the-way-for-health-issues-later-in-life
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-news-covid-19-infection-in-pregnant-women-alters-microbiota-composition-passed-onto-infants,-impacting-their-long-term-health
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