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Parvovirus B19 infection in pregnancy and subsequent morbidity and mortality in offspring

Jonathan Lassen1, Peter Bager, Jan Wohlfahrt

  • 1Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark and Department of Virology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.

International Journal of Epidemiology
|September 25, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy did not increase overall infant or childhood morbidity and mortality. This large study found no significant links, though a small excess risk for central nervous system cancer was noted in exposed children.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy has been anecdotally linked to adverse infant outcomes.
  • Previous reports suggest potential associations with infant morbidity and mortality, particularly after intrauterine transfusions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the population-based association between parvovirus B19 infection in pregnancy and subsequent child morbidity and mortality.
  • To utilize high-quality serum and hospital data for a robust analysis.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 113,228 children born to mothers tested for parvovirus B19 during pregnancy (1994-2009) was established.
  • Data on morbidity diagnoses and mortality were obtained from national registers.
  • Log-linear Poisson regression was used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs), adjusting for relevant covariates.

Main Results:

  • Maternal parvovirus B19 infection occurred in 1.0% of pregnancies (n=1095).
  • No overall association was found between maternal infection and infant/childhood morbidity (IRR 0.64-0.93) or infant mortality (IRR 0.98).
  • A small, statistically significant excess risk of central nervous system cancer was observed (IRR 5.88), but based on only two exposed cases.

Conclusions:

  • Parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy is not associated with increased overall morbidity or mortality in infancy and childhood.
  • The findings suggest that routine screening or intervention for parvovirus B19 in pregnancy may not be warranted based on overall outcomes.
Abstract

Keywords:
Infectious diseasescongenital abnormalitiesepidemiologymorbiditymortalityparvovirus

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