Neonatal pulmonary function tests in infants born to COVID-19 positive mothers

• Published in: Journal of perinatology
• Main Authors: Ruch, Katy, MacDonald, Kelvin D., Parkhotyuk, Kseniya, Schilling, Diane, Olson, Mathew, Mehess, Shawn, Milner, Kristin, McEvoy, Cindy T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 21.02.2025
• ISSN: 0743-8346; 1476-5543; 1476-5543
• DOI: 10.1038/s41372-025-02237-w

To compare pulmonary function tests (PFTs), specifically passive respiratory system compliance (Crs), in infants of mothers positive for COVID-19 during pregnancy compared to PFTs from a historical cohort of matched, healthy reference infants. A prospective cohort study of infants born to COVID-19 positive mothers. Crs was measured with the single breath occlusion technique. Historical cohort data was obtained from a pre-COVID-19 data repository. Respiratory questionnaires were done at 1-year postnatal age. Twenty-four PFTs in the COVID-19 cohort were compared with PFTs from 24 reference subjects. Infants of the COVID-19 positive mothers had a Crs of 3.57 ml/cmH2O versus 3.76 mL/cmH2O in the reference group (p > 0.05). The remaining PFT outcomes were comparable between groups. The COVID-19 infants reported more allergic symptoms and conditions through 1-year. We found no difference in Crs in infants of mothers with COVID-19 during pregnancy compared to a historical pre-COVID reference cohort.