SARS-CoV-2 and related variants have provided protean challenges in perinatal health care delivery. Preventive approaches, including behavioral (lockdown, masking), immunization (mostly active, some passive), and medications may attenuate mortality risk, and alter disease severity and outcomes including sensorineural recovery. Post-COVID conditions pose challenges, inclusive of definition and management, and are reportedly predominant in women. The risk of death from SARS-CoV-2 is increased in pregnant women, the immunocompromised, and in the elderly, especially those that are institutionalized. Altered preterm birth risk and attenuated fetal growth, development, and immune response are likely in this context. There is a paucity of knowledge of associated disease and long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women, fetuses, and infants. Thus, the effects of preventive approaches in these high-risk populations require further study.
Pregnancy is a high-risk period for adverse outcomes for the mother, fetus, and infant in the age of SARS-CoV-2. Alterations in the maternal environment to prevent disease exposure, optimal vaccine acceptance, and improved health care delivery policy may provide opportunities for better outcomes for pregnancy, mother-infant bonding, and breastfeeding. Disease severity, BMI, type 2 diabetes, nutritional status, and co-existing viruses (eg: EBV reactivation) have been implicated in attenuating SARS-CoV-2 mortality/morbidity. It is unclear how these affect pregnancy, fetal/infant outcomes, and/or mortality and morbidity. There is a lack of perinatal case-control, intervention, sensorineural, and long-term outcome studies in pregnant women and infants. Mechanistic disease insight, inclusive of those from perinatal registries, biospecimen repositories, virology, immunology, vaccines (mRNA and others), and “omic’ insights into disease genotype-phenotype correlates may provide novel opportunities for preventing adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes.
The scope of this Research Topic includes SARS-CoV-2 and its implications for neonatal-perinatal medicine. We welcome submissions from the basic and clinical/translational sciences providing mechanistic insights into the behavioral, viral, host, and other factors relevant to pregnancy, uteroplacental and perinatal health, and outcomes for women in their reproductive years, as well as fetuses and infants. Studies emphasizing uteroplacental/fetal growth, development, and immune response to vaccination, long-term effects inclusive of sensorineural injury and recovery are welcome. We invite studies of SARS-CoV-2 comorbidities, post-COVID perinatal conditions, and preventive targets germane to pre-conception, pregnancy, lactation, breastfeeding, and early infant outcomes, especially neurosensory and long-term neurodevelopmental and/or follow-up data relevant to optimize maternal, fetal and infant outcomes. Successful global and regional public health models promoting perinatal health and equity are encouraged.
SARS-CoV-2 and related variants have provided protean challenges in perinatal health care delivery. Preventive approaches, including behavioral (lockdown, masking), immunization (mostly active, some passive), and medications may attenuate mortality risk, and alter disease severity and outcomes including sensorineural recovery. Post-COVID conditions pose challenges, inclusive of definition and management, and are reportedly predominant in women. The risk of death from SARS-CoV-2 is increased in pregnant women, the immunocompromised, and in the elderly, especially those that are institutionalized. Altered preterm birth risk and attenuated fetal growth, development, and immune response are likely in this context. There is a paucity of knowledge of associated disease and long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women, fetuses, and infants. Thus, the effects of preventive approaches in these high-risk populations require further study.
Pregnancy is a high-risk period for adverse outcomes for the mother, fetus, and infant in the age of SARS-CoV-2. Alterations in the maternal environment to prevent disease exposure, optimal vaccine acceptance, and improved health care delivery policy may provide opportunities for better outcomes for pregnancy, mother-infant bonding, and breastfeeding. Disease severity, BMI, type 2 diabetes, nutritional status, and co-existing viruses (eg: EBV reactivation) have been implicated in attenuating SARS-CoV-2 mortality/morbidity. It is unclear how these affect pregnancy, fetal/infant outcomes, and/or mortality and morbidity. There is a lack of perinatal case-control, intervention, sensorineural, and long-term outcome studies in pregnant women and infants. Mechanistic disease insight, inclusive of those from perinatal registries, biospecimen repositories, virology, immunology, vaccines (mRNA and others), and “omic’ insights into disease genotype-phenotype correlates may provide novel opportunities for preventing adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes.
The scope of this Research Topic includes SARS-CoV-2 and its implications for neonatal-perinatal medicine. We welcome submissions from the basic and clinical/translational sciences providing mechanistic insights into the behavioral, viral, host, and other factors relevant to pregnancy, uteroplacental and perinatal health, and outcomes for women in their reproductive years, as well as fetuses and infants. Studies emphasizing uteroplacental/fetal growth, development, and immune response to vaccination, long-term effects inclusive of sensorineural injury and recovery are welcome. We invite studies of SARS-CoV-2 comorbidities, post-COVID perinatal conditions, and preventive targets germane to pre-conception, pregnancy, lactation, breastfeeding, and early infant outcomes, especially neurosensory and long-term neurodevelopmental and/or follow-up data relevant to optimize maternal, fetal and infant outcomes. Successful global and regional public health models promoting perinatal health and equity are encouraged.