Postexertional malaise, fatigue common PASC symptoms in pregnant women

Nearly 10 percent of pregnant women experience postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC), with the most common symptoms including postexertional malaise, fatigue, and gastrointestinal symptoms, according to a study.

Researchers used data from the NIH RECOVER-Pregnancy Cohort, which involved 1,502 individuals who were pregnant during their first SARS-CoV-2 infection. These participants were enrolled either within 30 days of their infection or at differential time points thereafter.

PASC, the primary study outcome, was defined as score of at least 12 based on symptoms and severity (as previously published by the NIH RECOVER-Adult Cohort) at the first study visit at least 6 months after the index SARS-CoV-2 infection. Risk factors for PASC (eg, sociodemographic characteristics, clinical characteristics before SARS-CoV-2 infection, and acute infection severity) were also assessed.

In most of the participants (61.1 percent), the index SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred during Omicron variant dominance. About half (51.4 percent) were fully vaccinated before infection, and 12.1 percent were enrolled within 30 days of their acute infection.

The prevalence of PASC was 9.3 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 7.9–10.9), with the symptoms occurring at a median of 10.3 months after the index infection. Postexertional malaise (77.7 percent) and fatigue (76.3 percent) were the most common PASC symptoms, followed by gastrointestinal symptoms (61.2 percent).

Multivariable logistic regression models showed that the odds of PASC were greater among participants with vs without a history of obesity (14.9 percent vs 7.5 percent; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.65, 95 percent CI, 1.12–2.43), depression or anxiety disorder (14.4 percent vs 6.1 percent; aOR, 2.64, 95 percent CI, 1.79–3.88) before the index infection, economic hardship (self-reported difficulty covering expenses; 12.5 percent vs 6.9 percent; aOR, 1.57, 95 percent CI, 1.05–2.34), and oxygen treatment during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection (18.1 percent vs 8.7 percent; aOR, 1.86, 95 percent CI, 1.00–3.44).