Growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born to mothers with covid-19 during pregnancy

Aims: To evaluate the impact of intrauterine SARS-CoV-2 exposure on infant growth and neurodevelopment by comparing anthropometric measurements and Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II) results between infants born to mothers with COVID-19 during pregnancy and unexposed controls. Methods: This retrospective case-control study included 40 term infants born to mothers with confirmed COVID-19 during pregnancy and 40 term infants born to mothers without COVID-19. Well-child follow-up records from July 2020 to July 2022 were reviewed. Demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and DDST-II results were analyzed. Results: The groups were comparable regarding demographic characteristics, birth weight, gestational age, and sex (all p>0.05). In the study group, 45% of mothers had COVID-19 during the third trimester. At one month, head circumference, length, and weight percentiles were similar between groups. At six months, head circumference below the third percentile was more common in the exposed group (22.2% vs. 3.6%, p=0.045), whereas length and weight percentiles did not differ. No significant differences were observed in anthropometric measurements at nine months. DDST-II showed age-appropriate neurodevelopment in 39 infants in each group; one infant in the exposed group had a suspicious result and one control infant had an abnormal result. Conclusion: Prenatal SARS-CoV-2 exposure was not associated with significant differences in infant growth or neurodevelopment during the first year of life. Larger prospective studies with longer follow-up are needed to determine long-term outcomes.