Photo: Phil Jones/Shutterstock
A group of scientists discovered that there is evidence of the presence of COVID-19 in fetal brain tissue in cases of pregnant people who transmit the infection to their children.
With this it is discovered that the effects of the disease on our bodies are not only the cause for concern, but also the effects on the bodies of the babies that are still in gestation.
The team studied 661 human fetal tissue samples collected between July 2020 and April 2022 and noted bleeding in 26 of them. COVID-19 was present in all tissue samples with evidence of hemorrhage.
All samples were collected from electively terminated pregnancies.
“While hemorrhages do occasionally occur in developing brains, it is extremely unusual for there to be so many cases in a 21-month period,” says neurobiologist Katie Long from King’s College London in the UK.
In addition, it highlights that it is now of the utmost importance to follow up on children who were prenatally exposed to COVID-19 to be able to establish if there are lasting effects on neurological development.
Immune response of mothers
The researchers highlighted signs of a reduction in blood vessel integrity and an increase in immune cells infiltrating the brain. This may be a direct result of the COVID-19 infection or an indirect result of the mother’s immune response.
Although the coronavirus was only confirmed in the tissues of the fetus, it can be safely assumed that the infections were transferred from an infection in their mothers.
They have not yet defined whether the bleeding was a direct consequence of the mother’s COVID or the infection of the fetus, or if the relationship involves some unknown factor. But the link is strong enough to be a concern.
Most of the samples with signs of hemorrhage were from the end of the first and beginning of the second trimester of gestation.suggesting that the fetal brain may be affected early in its development.
During those weeks are crucial moments for the development of the baby’s brain, since it creates barriers to defend itself.
“Our findings suggest that there is an association between the early development of human fetal brain tissue and vulnerability to COVID-19 infection,” said neurobiologist Marco Massimo from King’s College London.
You can also read:
Blueberries are the best fruit to burn abdominal fat, according to a nutritionist
US doctors concerned about declining childhood vaccination rates