Diagnosis and Therapeutics of COVID - 19 and pregnancy, from the Technical Unit of Obstetrics (in Spanish)

Abstract

The Coronavirus is an RNA virus identified in January 2020, in patients with respiratory complications, the incubation period varies from 2 to 14 days, however the presentation of symptoms is atypical. It mostly affects people between 30-79 years of age, with a mortality rate of 3% but with a variation of 0-6% depending on various factors in the populations1. The American continent concentrates half of the COVID-19 cases registered in the world and 55% of the accumulated deaths since December, according to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). PAHO reports more than 60,000 confirmed cases of COVID 19 in pregnant women, with 458 deaths in the Americas. The two countries with the most fatal cases are Mexico with 140 and Brazil with 135, which makes this pathology a public health problem worldwide. About 80% of COVID-19 infections are mild or asymptomatic; 15% are severe, require supplemental oxygen; and 5% are critical and require mechanical ventilation. The pregnant population is considered a vulnerable group with certain susceptibilities and protective factors for the evolution of the disease. They do not seem to be more susceptible to the consequences of coronavirus infection compared to the general population; however, physiological changes occur during pregnancy that, associated with those presented in immunity, may be factors that determine serious forms of the disease1,7 , 22, for this reason continuity in prenatal care services must be ensured as well as timely attention to signs and symptoms.