Is Gestational COVID-19 a Risk Factor for Congenital Hearing Loss?

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Neonatology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Congenital hearing loss is a significant concern in newborns.
• The impact of maternal COVID-19 infection during pregnancy on infant hearing outcomes requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is a risk factor for congenital hearing loss in newborns.
• To analyze the association between gestational COVID-19 and hearing screening results.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study involving 60,223 newborns.
• Comparison of hearing screening test results (automatic auditory brainstem response) between 570 newborns exposed to gestational COVID-19 and 570 controls.
• Data collected from a tertiary referral center.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant demographic differences were observed between the gestational COVID-19 and control groups.
• Higher rates of hearing loss were detected in the gestational COVID-19 group during the first and second newborn hearing screenings (p=0.025 and p=0.006, respectively).
• No significant difference in hearing loss detection was found by the third screening test, suggesting temporary effects or the need for later assessment.

Conclusions:

• Gestational COVID-19 is not identified as a risk factor for permanent congenital hearing loss.
• The study underscores the importance of a third newborn hearing screening test due to potential temporary hearing impairments detected in the early neonatal period.