Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Jul;191(1):292-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2003.11.019.

Pregnancy and perinatal outcomes of women with severe acute respiratory syndrome

Affiliations

Pregnancy and perinatal outcomes of women with severe acute respiratory syndrome

Shell F Wong et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the pregnancy and perinatal outcomes of pregnant women with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Study design: All pregnant women (12) who presented with SARS in Hong Kong between February 1 and July 31, 2003, were included. The pregnancy and perinatal outcomes were collected. Evidence of perinatal transmission of virus was assessed with the SARS-associated coronavirus reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on cord blood, placenta tissue, and subsequent follow-up of the neonate on serology.

Results: Three deaths occurred among the 12 patients, giving a case fatality rate of 25%. Four of the 7 patients (57%) who presented in the first trimester had spontaneous miscarriage. Four of the 5 patients who presented after 24 weeks were delivered preterm. Two mothers recovered without delivery, but their ongoing pregnancies were complicated by intrauterine growth restriction. No newborn infant had clinical SARS and all investigations were negative for SARS.

Conclusion: SARS during pregnancy is associated with high incidences of spontaneous miscarriage, preterm delivery, and intrauterine growth restriction. There is no evidence of perinatal SARS infection among infants born to these mothers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. World Health Organization. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Available at: http://www.who.int/csr/sars/. Accessed June 15, 2003.
    1. Ksiazek T.G., Erdman D., Goldsmith C.S., Zaki S.R., Peret T., Emery S. A novel coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1953–1966. - PubMed
    1. Peiris J.S.M., Lai S.T., Poon L.L.M., Guan Y., Yam L.Y.C., Lim W. Coronavirus as a possible cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Lancet. 2003;361:1319–1325. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tsang K.W., Ho P.L., Ooi G.C., Yee W.K., Wang T., Chan-Yeung M. A cluster of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1977–1985. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Case definitions for surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Available at: http://www.who.int/csr/sars/casedefinition/en/. Accessed June 15, 2003.

MeSH terms