COVID-19 IN PREGNANT AND PREMATURITY: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

The effects and risks of COVID-19 during pregnancy are still inconclusive. Studies show that the development of severe symptoms can lead to preterm labor. The objective of the study was to gather scientific evidence on COVID-19 in pregnant women, to understand its relationship with prematurity and complications in the newborn. This is an integrative review with descriptive and qualitative approaches, conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde – BVS, Scielo, Cochrane Library, and gray literature Google Scholar databases using search strategies: “Premature Birth” AND “Risk Factor” AND “SARS-Cov-2”, as well as “Premature Birth” AND “Risk Factor” AND “COVID-19”. We included experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental articles, published between 2020-2022, in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, and in journals with an impact factor greater than or equal to one. Fourteen studies meet the inclusion criteria: seven cohort studies, three cases and controls, one multicenter observational study, and three systematic reviews, two of them with meta-analysis. In the severe form of the disease was reported an increase in the number of preterms births in twelve studies, the prevalence of cesarean section in five studies, in addition to eclampsia and preeclampsia. The findings indicate that COVID-19 during pregnancy can lead to preterm delivery and other complications, emphasizing the importance of follow-up and multidisciplinary care for pregnant women and preterm infants. It is expected that this review can contribute to evidence-based clinical practice.

Keywords: Pregnancy; Premature; COVID-19