COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy and Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Offspring: Time for Collaborative Research.

Abstract

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ( SARS-CoV-2 ), has become the worst pandemic since the 1918 influenza pandemic (1). This novel viral infection , first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China , spread around the world in just a few months, causing an overwhelming international health crisis that could affect up to one-third of humanity (1,2). COVID-19, which causes fever and mild to severe respiratory symptoms, is closely related to other coronaviruses (CoVs), such as SARS ( SARS-CoV-1 ) and MERS-CoV ( Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV) (1). Cumulative studies have demonstrated that acute respiratory virus infections such as CoVs and influenza can lead to long-term neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms (3–5). Moreover, there is evidence suggesting an association between prenatal exposure to these respiratory infections and an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, such as schizophrenia , bipolar disorder , and autism (4,6). The potential for over 100 million women currently pregnant around the world to be exposed to COVID-19 (2) raises concerns about the possible increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in their offspring.