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Pregnancy outcomes in Italy during COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based cohort study

Franca Rusconi1, Monia Puglia2, Martina Pacifici2

  • 1Department of Mother and Child Health, Azienda USL, Toscana Nord Ovest, Pisa, Italy.

BJOG : an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
|October 9, 2022
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal epidemiology
  • Public health
  • Infectious disease epidemiology

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented public health measures globally.
  • Understanding the impact of these measures on pregnancy outcomes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare preterm birth (PTB) and stillbirth rates in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic with previous years.
  • To analyze trends in PTB rates from 2017 to 2021.

Main Methods:

  • Population-based cohort study using Italian Regional Health System data.
  • Compared pandemic period (March 2020-March 2021) with historical data (January 2017-February 2020).
  • Utilized Poisson regressions and interrupted time series analysis.

Main Results:

  • A significant reduction in overall preterm birth (PTB) risk was observed during the pandemic (RR 0.91).
  • Reductions were noted across all PTB categories: late, very, and extremely preterm.
  • No significant association was found between the pandemic and stillbirth rates (RR 1.01).

Conclusions:

  • The introduction of COVID-19 restriction measures in Italy was associated with a decrease in preterm birth rates.
  • These findings suggest that public health interventions during the pandemic did not lead to an increase in stillbirths.
Abstract

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