#Corona #vaccination #pregnant #women #harmful #children
Vaccination against COVID-19 during pregnancy has no influence on the child’s later neurological development, American research suggests. This is evident from a new analysis in JAMA Pediatrics, at least as far as the neurological development of the offspring is concerned in the first year and a half of life.
There were concerns about whether vaccination of pregnant women against COVID-19 poses risks to the unborn child. However, there were insufficient data on the early neurological development of children exposed to COVID-19 vaccination in utero. This study lifts a glimpse of the veil.
Study with almost 2,500 participants
2,487 pregnant women participated in the prospective ASPIRE (Assessing the Safety of Pregnancy During the Coronavirus Pandemic) study. On average, they were 33 years old and no more than ten weeks pregnant at the start of the study. A team of researchers analyzed the children’s neurological development at 12 and 18 months using the third edition of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3).
The ASQ-3 results of women with and without COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy were compared. Abnormal child development was defined as falling below a certain threshold in one of five areas. These areas were communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving and social skills.
No effect on neurological development
In unadjusted analyses, developmental delays were observed in nearly 31 percent of exposed children at 12 months of age, compared with approximately 28 percent of unexposed children. When examined at the age of 18 months, this was 20 percent versus 23 percent.
However, after adjusting for the women’s age, origin, education, income, depression and anxiety, no difference was found in the risk of developmental delays in children at any time. Further adjustment for prematurity and gender of the children had no effect on the results.
“The data suggest that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy was safe in view of the child’s neurological development up to 18 months of age,” summarize the researchers led by Prof. Eleni Jaswa of the University of California San Francisco. They emphasize the need for longer-term studies to substantiate the results. The cohort of the current analysis will also be monitored.
Access to all functionalities is reserved for professional healthcare providers.
If you are a healthcare professional, please log in or register for free to gain full access to this content.
If you are a journalist or would like to inform us, please write to [email protected].
)
