Covid increases risk of pregnancy complications, harmful to placenta growth, universities in Hong Kong discover
- Joint study by University of Science and Technology, Chinese University shows SARS-CoV-2 virus can significantly disrupt development of placenta in pregnant women
- Researchers find viral infection triggers significant increase in woman’s immune response, reducing genes known to stop blood clots and support fetus growth
Pregnant women who contract Covid-19 face an increased risk of complications such as preterm birth and, in the worst case, a stillborn child, a joint study by researchers at Hong Kong universities has found.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, significantly disrupted the development of the placenta in pregnant women, especially those in their third trimester, academics from the University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Chinese University (CUHK) said on Thursday.
“The placenta is a very vascular organ and the formation of the placenta requires new blood vessels to support the growth of the fetus,” said Dr Liona Poon Chiu-yee, head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at CUHK’s faculty of medicine.
“Abnormal blood vessel formation within the placenta will restrict the growth of the fetus as the placenta cannot provide sufficient nutrition and oxygen.”
Irregular development of the placenta might lead to pre-eclampsia, a form of hypertension in pregnant women, and gestational diabetes.
