Features of the course of severe and critical COVID-19 in pregnant women: A prospective cross-sectional study

Background: At the beginning of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, studies showed that the risk of severe disease was higher in pregnant women. Objective: This study investigates the characteristics of severe and critical types of COVID-19 coronavirus infection in pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study compared the medical records of 120 pregnant women with severe and very severe COVID-19 treated at the Infectious Disease Center, Shymkent, Kazakhstan from December 2021 to May 2022. Factors such as time of hospital admission, hospitalization period, maternal comorbidities, age, pregnancy and postpartum complications, pregnancy outcomes, and treatment type were analyzed. Results: 87 (72.5%) pregnant women with severe and 33 (27.5%) with critical type of COVID-19 were included. The following data were obtained when comparing the pregnancy parity of the subjects, depending on the gestational age: in 1-12 wk, the indicator was 3.75 ± 0.95; in 13-27 wk 3.00 (Q1-Q3: 2.00-4.00), in 28-40 wk 3.00 (Q1-Q3: 2.00-4.00). Severe COVID-19 coronavirus infection occurs in women with more than a third pregnancy (Me 3.00 [Q1-Q3: 2.00-4.00]). Conclusion: There is a risk of disease progression to severe and critical COVID-19 in pregnant women older than 33 yr of age and at 28-40 wk gestation. Early referral to a doctor in hospital, timely hospitalization, and initiated treatment reduces the risk of aggravation of the patient’s condition and development of formidable complications.