COVID-19 infection during pregnancy may increase the risk of cardiovascular health problems related to pregnancy and giving birth. Small hospital-based studies have suggested a relationship between COVID-19 infection during pregnancy and severe complications for mothers and their babies. However, since some complications are rare, detailed analyses from large population-based studies are required. Along with this, it is of great interest to understand the possible effect of vaccination against COVID-19 infection considering the increasing proportion of the population vaccinated against COVID-19 also among pregnant women.
We will assess and quantify the role of COVID-19 infection and vaccination during pregnancy on COVID-19 related complications, cardiovascular-related maternal health outcomes (for example, pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, miscarriage, preterm birth, stillbirth, peripartum cardiomyopathy), and on longer-term cardiovascular related diseases for the mother and child. We will also compare the magnitude of the associations between pregnant women with and without pre-existing heart disease, we will explore the interaction between COVID-19 infection and climatic variables (for example air temperature and pollutions), and we will compare the magnitude of the associations of COVID-19 and influenza infections.
Results from our study will help to inform women on potential risks related to COVID-19 infection and vaccination during pregnancy, identify women with greatest risks, understand the possible protective effect of vaccination against COVID-19 infection, and help evaluate if any preventative interventions are needed.
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Sub-projects
CCU018_01: Estimating the short- and longer-term risk of cardiovascular disease and intermediate traits in women infected with COVID during pregnancy.
CCU018_02: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on outcomes in pregnant women with pre-existing cardiovascular disease
CCU018_03: The effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on cardiovascular related adverse pregnancy outcomes: an interaction analysis with environmental exposures
CCU018_04: Comparing the risk of cardiovascular-related adverse pregnancy and infant outcomes after coronavirus infection with other respiratory infections during pregnancy
Outputs
COVID-19 diagnosis, vaccination during pregnancy, and adverse pregnancy outcomes of 865,654 women in England and Wales: a population-based cohort study