PhD Scientific Days 2024

Poster Session P - Conservative Medicine

2 Year Neurodevelopmental Outcome of Children Born to SARS-CoV-2 Infected Mothers vs. Uninfected Mothers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Text of the abstract

Introduction

Perinatal outcomes are generally favourable in children born to SARS-CoV-2 infected mothers; however less is knokwn about long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Aims

Our aim was to assess the effect of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection at birth on the outcome of infants at 1 and 2 years of age.

Method

We conducted a case-control study between January 2022 - February 2024 at Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. Term infants born to SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers (COVID-19 group, n=48) and a control group (term infants born to uninfected mothers during the pandemic, n=36) were compared. Neurodevelopmental follow-up visits were completed at 1 and 2 years of age, using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition (BSID-III).

Results

At 1 year, follow-up rate was 100% in both the COVID-19 and control groups, whereas at 2 years, it was 50% and 64%, respectively. At 1 year of age, children of the COVID-19 group scored lower than the control group on the cognitive (p=0.001) and fine motor skill (p=0.021) subtests of the BSID-III screeening test, however risk stratification for developmental delay was similar in both groups. At 2 years of age, the BSID-III cognitive and motor scale scores were normal (average), or above average in all children of both groups. On the language subtest, 5/24 (20%) children scored below the average in the COVID-19 group, while only 1/23 (4%) in the control group. In accordance, more children of the control group scored in the above-average range (p=0.025).

Conclusion

Children born to SARS-CoV-2 infected mothers scored lower than the control group in some neurodevelopmental areas both at the 1 and 2 year follow-up visits.

Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research and authorship.