Sion hospital study says while most COVID-positive mothers were discharged without complications, medical help not reaching them on time led to mortality; third wave fares better
Doctors have urged pregnant women to get vaccinated. Representation pic
A study by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation-run Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, known as Sion hospital, that got published in an international medical journal this month, said while majority of Covid-positive mothers were discharged without major complications, severe maternal mortality was reported as a result of the disease. It said delay in seeking medical help or referral to tertiary care were some reasons which lead to disease progression and delay in starting treatment.
ADVERTISEMENT
Pregnant women have been in the high-risk category or susceptible population in the Covid-19 pandemic. While the association between Covid-19 cases and pregnancy has been studied across the globe, the study, covering 390 patients, done by the gynaecology department of Sion hospital, was published in the latest edition of International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
“We found that the Covid-related maternal mortality was more in women in the age group of 20-30 (89 per cent). Patients who succumbed to the infection were mostly primiparous patients, giving birth for the first time and died within five days of delivery (46 per cent),” said Dr Niranjan Chavan, one of the main authors of the study and professor and unit chief, gynaecology department, Sion hospital.
The study, which included 17 deaths, said the most significant association of comorbidities in maternal mortality patients with Covid-19 was pre-eclampsia—a condition in pregnancy characterised by high blood pressure, sometimes with fluid retention and presence of protein in urine.
Dr Chavan added that during the study they saw two kinds of delays in cases of patients who lost their lives. “We saw there was a delay in the patient seeking medical help and there was a delay in the referral of the patient to the tertiary care centre. Around 83 per cent of the delays were combinations of these two,” he said.
He added there were less number of cases in 2021. “It may denote effective vaccination drives and low exposure to mothers due to increased knowledge of the disease. The uncertainty regarding the treatment of Covid-19 during 2020 was also eliminated in 2021, leading to proper guidelines especially in pregnant females, leading to better treatment of patients and thus lower maternal mortality resulting from it,” he said.
Unlike the first two waves, gynaecologists said while the infection seems milder in the third wave, pregnant women need to take utmost care as contracting the infection is much higher.
Talking about the cases seen in the past two months, Dr Arun Nayak, head of the gynaecology department, Sion hospital, said, “Most of them had mild symptoms and we could discharge them within four-five days. Compared to the first two waves, this wave was uneventful. It may be because of the milder strain or because of the vaccination. We have been encouraging pregnant women to get vaccinated.”
Eighty-nine
Percentage of deaths in women in the age group 20-30
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
