Pathological Examination of the Placenta in COVID-19–Positive Mothers: A Short Communication

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: It was declared that COVID-19 might be more severe in symptomatic pregnant patients. This study was conducted to examine the pathological indices of the placenta in pregnant women who were diagnosed with COVID-19. METHODS: A total of 20 COVID-19–positive mothers were enrolled in this study. Detailed placental pathology findings were compared between subjects based on the history of abortion or occurrence of preterm delivery, hypertension, and diabetes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Intervillositis was the most frequent abnormality of the placenta. There was also a significant association between abortion history and maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM; P=0.02). The placental abnormalities were found to be increased in women with COVID-19, regardless of maternal comorbidities. Further studies are needed to compare the placental pathology between COVID-19–positive women and healthy women.