Impact of COVID-19 on fetal neurological development: A comparative cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: As the global pandemic continues, concerns have arisen regarding the potential consequences of maternal infection on fetal neurodevelopment. This study aims to understand whether COVID-19 is associated with an effect on fetal neurologic development by comparing prenatal ultrasound of the fetal nervous system. Method: This study followed a comparative cross-sectional design to assess fetal neurological development at a specific gestational age (23 weeks of gestation) within two groups (Group A consisted of normal pregnant women without COVID-19 infection, while Group B included pregnant women infected with COVID-19 during early pregnancy). Systematic collection of ultrasound measurements for fetal neurological development included biparietal diameters, head circumference, cavity of septum pellucidum, transverse cerebellar diameters, lateral ventricles, and cisterna magna. The gathered data underwent statistical analysis using IBM SPSS. Results: This study involved 1765 participants, comparing neurological measurements using the Mann-Whitney U test between COVID-19-positive (N=299) and negative (N=1466) cases. Mean rank variations were observed for various measurements, with p-values ranging from 0.01 to 0.98. Notably, the cisterna magna parameter showed a significant difference, with COVID-19-positive cases (mean rank: 785.13) significantly lower than negatives (mean rank: 861.36, p=0.01). No significant differences were found in the biparietal diameter, head circumference, transversal diameter of the cerebellum, cavity of septum pellucidum, lateral ventricles and cisterna magna. Observed anomalies included heart anomalies (0.9%), neurological anomalies (0.8%), and multiple system anomalies (0.7%). Conclusions: These findings underscore the nuanced impact of maternal COVID-19 on fetal neurological development. Further studies are necessary to observe the long-term effects.