Columbia University Medical Center project COMBO is a large, consortium-style study on maternal and child health related to newborns born during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on understanding the effects of in utero exposure to SARS-CoV-2 on a broad range of outcomes.
Viral infections during pregnancy often lead to something referred to as “Maternal Immune Activation” or MIA, and MIA has been associated with adverse outcomes in both animal models and human studies looking at other viral infections. Additionally, data from early in the pandemic did indeed show that pregnant women who contract COVID-19 mount a strong immunological response, meaning – MIA definitely occurs in these women.
A detailed study on this has not really been done before and this team used the "Ages and Stages Questionnaire, 3rd Edition – or ASQ3" – to screen for neurodevelopmental deficits at 6 months of age. The ASQ3 is a standard screening tool widely used in pediatric offices and includes 30 questions that cover skills in 5 domains: communication, gross motor, fine motor, personal-social, and problem-solving.
It asks questions such as “Does your baby pick up a small toy with only one hand?” and “When in front of a large mirror, does your baby smile or coo at herself?” and parents can answer “Yes”, “Sometimes” or “Not yet”. For the study, mothers filled out this questionnaire online when their babies were around 6 months of age.
It's been noted that ther's a difference. Infants born during the pandemic had slightly lower average scores on gross motor, fine motor, and social skills. Also it's t’s important to note that these differences were small but significant. This could possibly due to the stress these mothers experienced during pregnancy because of Covid times, because Stress during pregnancy, and especially early in pregnancy, can broadly affect neurodevelopment.
The findings of this analysis of the neurodevelopmental status of infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic support the need for long-term monitoring of these children to mitigate substantial sequelae similar to those observed in generations born during previous pandemics. The observed association between birth during the pandemic and neurodevelopmental status, regardless of maternal SARS-CoV-2 status, suggests a potential pathway involving maternal pandemic-related distress that warrants future investigation.
PS: Anyone interested to browse what the ASQ3 Questionnaire is - Link
Note - The ASQ3 could be useful as an indicator for parents with small kids as it's very effective at pinpointing child progress. Covers upto one month to 5.5 years.
Viral infections during pregnancy often lead to something referred to as “Maternal Immune Activation” or MIA, and MIA has been associated with adverse outcomes in both animal models and human studies looking at other viral infections. Additionally, data from early in the pandemic did indeed show that pregnant women who contract COVID-19 mount a strong immunological response, meaning – MIA definitely occurs in these women.
A detailed study on this has not really been done before and this team used the "Ages and Stages Questionnaire, 3rd Edition – or ASQ3" – to screen for neurodevelopmental deficits at 6 months of age. The ASQ3 is a standard screening tool widely used in pediatric offices and includes 30 questions that cover skills in 5 domains: communication, gross motor, fine motor, personal-social, and problem-solving.
It asks questions such as “Does your baby pick up a small toy with only one hand?” and “When in front of a large mirror, does your baby smile or coo at herself?” and parents can answer “Yes”, “Sometimes” or “Not yet”. For the study, mothers filled out this questionnaire online when their babies were around 6 months of age.
It's been noted that ther's a difference. Infants born during the pandemic had slightly lower average scores on gross motor, fine motor, and social skills. Also it's t’s important to note that these differences were small but significant. This could possibly due to the stress these mothers experienced during pregnancy because of Covid times, because Stress during pregnancy, and especially early in pregnancy, can broadly affect neurodevelopment.
The findings of this analysis of the neurodevelopmental status of infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic support the need for long-term monitoring of these children to mitigate substantial sequelae similar to those observed in generations born during previous pandemics. The observed association between birth during the pandemic and neurodevelopmental status, regardless of maternal SARS-CoV-2 status, suggests a potential pathway involving maternal pandemic-related distress that warrants future investigation.
PS: Anyone interested to browse what the ASQ3 Questionnaire is - Link
Note - The ASQ3 could be useful as an indicator for parents with small kids as it's very effective at pinpointing child progress. Covers upto one month to 5.5 years.
Last edited:
