- A large retrospective cohort study of over 18,000 live births found that infants exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy were more likely to have adverse neurodevelopmental diagnoses by the time they were three years old. Children included in the study, published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, were born between March 2020 and May 2021. This pattern, which included higher rates of speech, language, and motor function disorders, was most pronounced when infection occurred in the third trimester and in male children. “COVID is a real problem that poses risk to the mom in pregnancy and to the child,” one of the authors told ProPublica.
- Another study has found that the common diabetes drug metformin may help reduce the risk of Long COVID. Shared as a preprint, the electronic health records study found a 53% lower risk of developing Long COVID when the drug was prescribed within six days of SARS-C0V-2 infection. The study included the health records of 496 people (248 in the metformin group). The authors concluded that the result of this study is consistent with randomized controlled trials and observational analyses on the drug for cutting Long COVID risk, and that it could be used to help guide treatment guidelines. Read more about metformin and Long COVID in our recent feature.
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is recruiting for a small observational study to understand if people with neurological symptoms of Long COVID have inactive remnants of SARS-CoV-2 in their bodies. The study is recruiting 12 people, including those with Long COVID neurological symptoms and those who have “recovered” from infection. Researchers will take tissue samples from multiple parts of the body, including the digestive tract, lungs, colon, muscle, and skin. Participants will also undergo a lumbar puncture. The study is based in Bethesda, Maryland. Study contact: Angelique Gavin, angelique.gavin@nih.gov.
