In utero exposure to COVID-19 not tied to later neurodevelopmental issues

Exposure to maternal COVID-19 is not associated with abnormal neurodevelopmental screening results through 24 months postpartum, according to a study published online Oct. 16 in JAMA Network Open.

Eleni G. Jaswa, M.D., from University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues assessed whether in utero exposure to maternal COVID-19 is associated with abnormal neurodevelopmental scores among children ages 12, 18, and 24 months. The analysis included 2,003 pregnant individuals and neurodevelopmental outcomes from 1,757 children at 12 months, 1,522 at 18 months, and 1,523 at 24 months.

The researchers found that the prevalence of abnormal screens for exposed versus unexposed offspring at age 12 months was 32.3 versus 29.4 percent; 22.4 versus 20.5 percent at age 18 months; and 19.2 versus 16.8 percent at 24 months.

At all three time points, there was no difference in the risk for abnormal neurodevelopmental screens (12 months: adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.07; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.85 to 1.34; 18 months: aRR, 1.15; 95 percent CI, 0.84 to 1.57; 24 months: aRR, 1.01; 95 percent CI, 0.69 to 1.48).

No differential risk was seen based on trimester of infection, presence versus absence of fever, or breakthrough infection following vaccination versus primary infection.

“These findings suggest that individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy can be reassured that there is no association with abnormal neurodevelopmental scores in children through age 24 months,” the authors write.

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