Maternal and infant outcomes in women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus in the COVID-19 era in China: Lessons learned

AIMS: The global COVID-19 pandemic has required a drastic transformation of prenatal care services. Whether the reformulation of the antenatal care systems affects maternal and infant outcomes remains unknown. Particularly, women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are among those who bear the greatest brunt. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown during late pregnancy on maternal and infant outcomes in women stratified by the GDM status in China. STUDY DESIGN: The participants were women who experienced the COVID-19 lockdown during late pregnancy (3185 in the 2020 cohort) or not (2540 in the 2019 cohort) that were derived from the Beijing Birth Cohort Study. Maternal metabolic indicators, neonatal outcomes, and infant anthropometrics at 12 months of age were compared between the two cohorts, stratified by the GDM status. RESULTS: Participants who experienced COVID-19 lockdown in late pregnancy showed lower gestational weight gain than those in the control cohort. Nevertheless, they displayed a worse metabolic profile. COVID-19 lockdown during pregnancy was associated with higher glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (β= 0.11, 95% CI = 0.05–0.16, q-value = 0.002) and lower high density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HDL-C) level (β=–0.09, 95% CI = –0.14 to –0.04, q-value = 0.004) in women with GDM, adjusted for potential confounders. In normoglycemic women, COVID-19 lockdown in late pregnancy was associated with higher fasting glucose level (β= 0.10, 95% CI = 0.08–0.12, q-value <0.0001), lower HDL-C level (β=–0.07, 95% CI = –0.08 to –0.04, q-value <0.0001), and increased risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension (adjusted OR=1.80, 95%CI=1.30–2.50, q-value=0.001). The fasting glucose level decreased less from early to late pregnancy in women who experienced COVID-19 lockdown than in the controls, regardless of the GDM status. The HDL-C has risen less with COVID-19 lockdown in the normoglycemic subgroup. In contrast, no significant differences regarding neonatal outcomes or infant weight were found between the two cohorts. CONCLUSION: Experiencing the COVID-19 lockdown in pregnancy was associated with worse maternal metabolic status but similar neonatal outcomes and infant weight.