COVID-19 Infection, Vaccination Not Linked to Congenital Anomalies
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, July 19, 2024 -- COVID-19 infection and vaccination during the first trimester of pregnancy are not associated with congenital anomalies, according to a study published online July 17 in The BMJ.
Maria C. Magnus, Ph.D., from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study of 343,066 live-born singletons in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway to examine the risk for major congenital anomalies according to infection with and vaccination against COVID-19 during the first trimester.
The researchers found that 5.2 percent of the infants had a major congenital anomaly. When examining risk relating to COVID-19 infection during the first trimester, the adjusted odds ratios (95 percent confidence intervals) varied from 0.84 (0.51 to 1.40) to 1.12 (0.68 to 1.84) for eye anomalies and oro-facial clefts, respectively. The risk relating to COVID-19 vaccination during the first trimester varied from 0.84 (0.31 to 2.31) to 1.69 (0.76 to 3.78) for nervous system anomalies and abdominal wall defects, respectively. For 10 of 11 subgroups of anomalies, estimates were less than 1.04, indicating no notable increase in risk.
"We did not find any evidence of an increased risk of congenital anomalies after COVID-19 infection, but newer variants were not included," the authors write. "However, current knowledge is in line with the new viral variants becoming less harmful."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2024
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Fewer Mental Health Facilities Offering Telehealth Since End of Pandemic
FRIDAY, July 19, 2024 -- Telehealth availability for mental health services has declined since the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to a study published...
Severity of COVID-19 Reinfection Linked to Severity of Initial Infection
THURSDAY, July 18, 2024 -- The severity of COVID-19 reinfection seems to be associated with the severity of initial infection, according to a study published online July 11 in...
Postexposure Prophylaxis With Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Does Not Cut COVID-19 Infection
THURSDAY, July 18, 2024 -- Postexposure prophylaxis with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir for five or 10 days does not reduce the risk for symptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.