COVID-19 in pregnant women An evaluation of clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters based on the 3 trimesters

Objectives: To investigate the association between the hospitalization rates, symptoms, and laboratory parameters of pregnant women diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the gestational week, and determine their symptoms or laboratory parameters predictive of the need for possible admission in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the symptoms, laboratory parameters, and treatment modalities of 175 pregnant women with COVID-19 who were admitted to a tertiary referral hospital between March 2020 and March 2021 and investigated their association with pregnancy trimesters. Results: The COVID-19-related hospitalization rates in the first trimester was 24.1%, second trimesters was 36%, and third trimester was 57.3%. Cough and shortness of breath were significantly higher in the pregnant women in their third trimester than those in the first 2 trimesters (p=0.042 and p=0.026, respectively). No significant relationship was found between pregnancy trimesters and the need for ICU admission. Shortness of breath at the first admission increased the need for ICU by 6.95 times, and a 1 unit increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) level increased the risk of ICU by 1.003 times. Conclusion: The presence of respiratory symptoms and the need for hospitalization increased significantly with later trimesters in pregnant women with COVID-19. The presence of shortness of breath or high CRP level at the time of admission could predict the need for ICU admission.