HEALTH

Pregnancy Covid linked to child neurodevelopment risks

Children whose mothers had Covid-19 during pregnancy were more likely to receive neurodevelopmental diagnoses by age 3, a Massachusetts General Hospital study of more than 18,000 births found. Risk was 1.3 times higher after adjustments, with over 16% affected versus under 10% among unexposed pregnancies. The link was stronger in boys and when infection occurred in the third trimester. Common diagnoses included speech and motor delays and autism; autism rates were 2.7% versus 1.1%. Conducted largely in an unvaccinated cohort, the study appears in Obstetrics and Gynecology and urges prevention and early evaluation.

Reviewed by JQJO team

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