Journal Article

Changes in fetal growth restriction and retinopathy of prematurity during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Obata, Shumpei, Maruo, Yoshihiro, Matsumoto, Riko, Kakinoki, Masashi, Murakami, Takashi, Yanagi, Takahide, Ohji, Masahito, Tsuji, Shunichiro

2022

Overview

To investigate changes in the number of preterm infants, low birth weight infants, and infants with fetal growth restriction (FGR) or retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we reviewed the medical records of infants born and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and growth care unit of Shiga University of Medical Science Hospital before the COVID-19 pandemic (April 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019) and during the pandemic (April 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020). Medical records of infants' mothers were also collected. Preterm infants, low birth weight infants, infants with FGR, infant and maternal factors associated with FGR, and infants requiring treatment for ROP were compared between the two periods. There were fewer infants born at < 28 weeks of gestation, infants with birth weight < 1,500 g, and infants with FGR during the pandemic period than the pre-pandemic period (pre-pandemic: n = 4 vs. during pandemic: n = 0, P = 0.048; pre-pandemic: n = 15 vs. during pandemic: n = 6, P = 0.02; and pre-pandemic: n = 31 vs. during pandemic: n = 12, P = 0.0002, respectively). There were no significant differences in any infant or maternal factors associated with FGR. The number of infants requiring treatment for ROP decreased during the pandemic, although this difference was not statistically significant (pre-pandemic: n = 3 vs. during pandemic: n = 0, P = 0.08). Our findings showed a reduction in the number of infants with FGR during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of infants born at < 28 weeks of gestation and infants with birth weight < 1,500 g also decreased during the pandemic period. There was a trend toward fewer infants requiring treatment for ROP during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Autoimmune diseases / Biology and Life Sciences / Birth Weight / Congenital diseases / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / COVID-19 - epidemiology / Cross-Sectional Studies / Diabetes / Drug use / Epidemics / Female / Fetal Growth Retardation - epidemiology / Fetus / Fetuses / Gestation / Gestational Age / Growth retardation / Gynecology / Health aspects / Health services / Humans / Hypertension / Infant, Low Birth Weight / Infant, Newborn / Infant, Premature / Infants / Infants (Premature) / Infections / Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Japan / Japan - epidemiology / Low birth weight / Male / Medical records / Medical science / Medicine and Health Sciences / Multiple births / Neonates / Newborn babies / Obstetrics / Ophthalmology / Pandemics / Pediatric research / Pediatrics / People and Places / Pregnancy / Premature birth / Regression analysis / Retinopathy / Retinopathy of Prematurity - epidemiology / Retrolental fibroplasia / Retrospective Studies / Risk factors / Statistical analysis / Statistics / Umbilical cord / Viral diseases / Viral infections