UKOSS: Pandemic influenza in pregnancy [COVID-19] [UPH]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Maternal and perinatal outcomes of pandemic influenza or novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in pregnancy
IRAS ID
112935
Contact name
Marian Knight
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Clinical Trails and Research Governance
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN 40092247
Research summary
Research Summary
The previous aim of this study was to learn more about the effects of a future worldwide influenza (flu) epidemic and its treatment on pregnant women and their babies using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS). The study has now been extended to include information on all pregnant women hospitalised with COVID-19. It will use UKOSS to identify approximately 500 women hospitalised with an influenza pandemic (when the disease has spread across many countries) or COVID-19 in pregnancy over a 6 month period. Information will be collected through doctors and midwives in hospitals throughout the UK. By studying all the pregnant women admitted to hospital, the study hopes to identify whether certain groups of pregnant women are more at risk of the more severe problems caused by an epidemic of flu or COVID-19, and whether any particular additional treatment in pregnancy helps lessen these risks. Pregnancy and delivery information will be compared with that from previous UKOSS studies of approximately 700 women giving birth in the UK identified from the same hospitals who did not have flu or COVID-19. The information collected will be anonymous which means an individual patient cannot be identified. The research will be conducted at the University of Oxford and is funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme. [COVID-19 amendment 09/03/2020]
Summary of Results
There are few large, national studies that have reported outcomes related to pregnancy and birth in pregnant women admitted with Covid-19 infection. We used data from the United Kingdom Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) that has information from all 194 consultant-led maternity centres in the UK where women give birth. For this study we had relevant information on 16,627 pregnant women who gave birth in these centres during March 2020 and March 2022 who had four types of Covid-19 infection. Women with moderate to severe Covid-19 infection had the worst outcomes during the period when the delta variant was most common and women who had not received any Covid vaccine also had worse outcomes. We provide strong evidence to recommend continuous monitoring of outcomes during pregnancy and at birth in future pandemics. It is also important to continue to recommend Covid-19 vaccination in pregnancy to protect both mothers and babies.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47181-zREC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
12/EM/0365
Date of REC Opinion
11 Sep 2012
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion