A Case of COVID-19 Pregnancy Complicated with Hydrops Fetalis and Intrauterine Death

Daniela Eugenia Popescu; Andreea Cioca; Cezara Muresan; Dan Navolan; Arina Gui; Ovidiu Pop; Tamara Marcovici; Constantin Ilie; Marius Craina; Marioara Boia

doi:10.3390/medicina57070667

A Case of COVID-19 Pregnancy Complicated with Hydrops Fetalis and Intrauterine Death

Medicina (Kaunas). 2021 Jun 28;57(7):667. doi: 10.3390/medicina57070667.

Authors

Daniela Eugenia Popescu^{1

2}, Andreea Cioca³, Cezara Muresan^{4

5}, Dan Navolan⁵, Arina Gui⁴, Ovidiu Pop⁶, Tamara Marcovici⁷, Constantin Ilie⁸, Marius Craina⁵, Marioara Boia¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neonatology, "Victor Babeş" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Sq. No.2, 300041 Timişoara, Romania.
² Department of Neonatology, Premiere Hospital, Regina Maria Health Network, Calea Aradului, No.113, 300645 Timişoara, Romania.
³ Department of Pathology, Premiere Hospital, Regina Maria Health Network, Calea Aradului, No.113, 300645 Timişoara, Romania.
⁴ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Premiere Hospital, Regina Maria Health Network, Calea Aradului, No.113, 300645 Timişoara, Romania.
⁵ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, "Victor Babeş" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Sq. No.2, 300041 Timişoara, Romania.
⁶ Department of Morphological Sciences, University of Oradea, Universitatii Street, No.1, 410087 Oradea, Romania.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, First Pediatric Clinic, "Victor Babeş" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Sq. No.2, 300041 Timişoara, Romania.
⁸ Department of Neonatology, Regina Maria Health Network, Aristide Demetriade Street, No.1, 300088 Timisoara, Romania.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly evolved into a worldwide pandemic causing a serious global public health problem. The risk of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is still debated, and the consequences of this virus on pregnant women and their fetuses remain unknown. We report a case of pregnancy complicated with hydrops fetalis that developed 7 weeks after recovery from a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, leading to intrauterine death of the foetus. Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 placentitis was demonstrated by the presence of viral particles in the placenta identified by immunohistochemistry. As we excluded all possible etiological factors for non-immunologic hydrops fetalis, we believe that the fetal consequences of our case are related to vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second reported case in the literature of COVID-19 infection complicated with hydrops fetalis and intrauterine fetal demise.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; fetal death; hydrops fetalis; placenta; pregnancy; vertical transmission.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Female
Fetal Death / etiology
Humans
Hydrops Fetalis / etiology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / diagnosis
SARS-CoV-2
Stillbirth