Impact of COVID-19 in pregnant women on the health and development of children during the first three years of life

COVID-19 may increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and subsequent health problems in the child.

Objective: To study the possible consequences of COVID-19 in pregnant women on the health and development of children during the first three years of life.

Materials and Methods: Primary medical records of children born in 2020–2022 were analyzed. The study group consisted of 50 individuals whose mothers had contracted the novel coronavirus infection (NCVI) during pregnancy; the control group included 30 individuals whose mothers had not contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy.

Results: Complicated pregnancies were observed in 64% of expectant mothers who had contracted COVID-19 (compared to 47% of those who had not contracted NCVI). Preterm birth at 35 weeks of gestation occurred in only 4% of women. All newborns had good Apgar scores, but 22% showed signs of intrauterine malnutrition (compared to 7% in the control group). Pathological conditions identified included choroid plexus cysts (34%), congenital malformations and minor developmental anomalies (22%), and delayed ossification of the femoral heads (40%). By age two, the body mass index of all children was “average” or “above average.” In the first year of life, a gradual delay in motor development was observed in 46% of cases. By age two, motor impairments persisted in 28% of children, and a gradual delay in speech development was first identified in 8%. By age three, the proportion of children with speech impairments had increased to 20%.

Conclusion. Impaired health and development in children with antenatal exposure to NKVI is possible even with asymptomatic and mild maternal disease. Long-term monitoring of these children is necessary, as some neurological disorders may manifest at an older age.

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