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20 January 2023Social Research Call 2023 (SRC 2023)
23 January 2023
A study has confirmed that this variant increases complications during pregnancy, especially in women with severe symptoms and without vaccination
Professionals from the Clinical Hospital, through the IIS Aragón, have participated in this international work coordinated by the University of Oxford
Professionals from the Lozano Blesa University Clinical Hospital, within the Placental pathophysiology and fetal programming group of the Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón), together with those from La Vall d'Hebron in Barcelona, have participated in the INTERCOVID 2022 study, which has shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection increases the risk of complications during pregnancy and that vaccination is effective in offering protection to pregnant women. The work, coordinated by the University of Oxford, has been published in the journal The Lancet.
The project has been carried out in 41 hospitals in 18 countries, with the two mentioned being the only participating Spanish centers. The objective is to evaluate the impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 during pregnancy on the mother and fetus and also on neonates. In April 2021, it was already confirmed that the risk of complications increased in pregnant women who were infected by SARS-CoV-2 and, on this occasion, evidence is provided on the effect of Omicron and the effectiveness of vaccination against this variant .
The researchers studied 1.545 pregnant women diagnosed with the variant and 3.073 pregnant women without a diagnosis of COVID-19, of which 216 pregnant women were from the Zaragoza III Health Sector (72 with Covid-19 plus 144 controls), of which the Clinic is a hospital. reference. The study was carried out between November 2021 and June 2022, a period during which Omicron was considered predominant.
The results showed that this variant during pregnancy was associated with an increase in complications, such as premature birth, and hospital admissions. Severe symptoms appeared in 4-7% of unvaccinated women diagnosed with the Omicron variant, and were especially high in women who were obese or overweight. In particular, among women with severe symptoms, the risk of preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy) increased.
“Unvaccinated pregnant women infected by the Omicron variant still run a significant risk of presenting complications,” says Marta Fabre, researcher at IIS-Aragón and physician at the Lozano Blesa Clinical Biochemistry Service. In the same sense, Nerea Maiz, specialist in the Obstetrics Service of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital and researcher in the Maternal and Fetal Medicine group of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), speaks: “The work provides us with evidence about the increase of the risk during pregnancy due to this variant, especially among symptomatic and unvaccinated women.”
On the other hand, it was observed that vaccination offered high protection against severe symptoms of COVID-19 and pregnancy complications, and vaccinated women had a low risk of needing admission to intensive care units. The effectiveness of the vaccine against the development of severe symptoms in women with COVID-19 was 74% in women with the complete vaccination schedule, and reached 91% in those who had received a booster dose.
“Fortunately, in our environment, broad vaccination coverage has been achieved in recent years, but we must continue to insist on the benefits of receiving booster doses, in accordance with the schedule set by the health authorities,” says Fabre. “The study clearly indicates the need for complete vaccination, preferably with a booster dose, to offer protection to pregnant women,” adds Maiz.
Regarding the type of immunization received, mRNA vaccines (such as those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) were more effective in preventing severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications for at least 10 months from the last dose. Viral vector vaccines (such as those from AstraZeneca and Janssen) also offered adequate protection if a booster dose had been given. Regarding the side effects of vaccination, they were not observed in the mother or in the fetus or newborn, even having received the vaccine during pregnancy.
INTERCOVID 2022 is an example of an international collaborative study that provides robust evidence to improve the health of mothers and babies around the world. The findings of this study and previous results have contributed to changing clinical practice and recommendations for pregnant women.
