Canadian researchers found no increase in premature births or stillbirths during the first year of the pandemic, reducing concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnancy.
During the pandemic, the UK, Italy, India and others reported an increase in stillbirths and some variability in premature birth rates. However, most of the studies were small.
A team led by University of Toronto researchers conducted a large study of more than 2.4 million births in Ontario over an 18-year period and compared trends in the pre-epidemic period (2002–2019) with the epidemic period (January to December). Of. 2020).
“We did not find any unusual changes in the rates of premature birth or stillbirth during the pandemic, which is reassuring,” said Dr Prakash Shah, a pediatrician at Sinai Health and a professor at the University of Toronto. The results are published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Epidemiologic measures and their compliance may affect premature birth rates in various settings. Thus, the researchers looked at birth outcomes in public health units where positivity rates for SARS-CoV-2 were higher (Toronto, Peel area, York area and Ottawa) as well as comparing urban and rural births and averaged separately. income level in the neighbourhood.
“In some areas and in some people, restrictions may be beneficial, and in other settings or individuals, restrictions may have the opposite effect,” Shah said.
International studies are now underway to help understand the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy and childbirth around the world.
Infection, inflammation, stress, medical or pregnancy-induced disorders, genetic predisposition, and environmental factors may contribute to stillbirth and premature birth, although in many cases the cause remains unknown.
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