Comparison of VEGF‐A values between pregnant women with COVID‐19 and healthy pregnancies and its association with composite adverse outcomes

• Published in: Journal of medical virology Vol. 93; no. 4; pp. 2204 - 2209
• Main Authors: Yazihan, Nuray, Tanacan, Atakan, Erol, Seyit A., Anuk, Ali T., Sinaci, Selcan, Biriken, Derya, Keskin, Huseyin L., Moraloglu, Ozlem T., Sahin, Dilek
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-04-2021
• Subjects: Adult; adverse outcome; Case-Control Studies; Complications; Coronaviruses; Correlation analysis; COVID-19; COVID-19 - blood; COVID-19 - metabolism; COVID-19 - virology; Demographics; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Laboratory tests; Leukocytes (neutrophilic); Lymphocytes; Neutrophils; Obstetrics; Parameters; Patients; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - blood; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - metabolism; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - virology; Pregnancy Outcome; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification; SARS‐CoV‐2; Statistical analysis; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - blood; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - metabolism; VEGF; Viral diseases; Virology; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; adverse outcome; VEGF; pregnancy
• ISSN: 0146-6615; 1096-9071
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.26631

The aim is to compare VEGF‐A values between pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and healthy controls. Furthermore, the association of inflammation parameters, disease severity, and obstetric complications with VEGF‐A was investigated. This prospective case‐control study was conducted on pregnant women who were admitted to Ankara City Hospital between June 14, 2020 and August 28, 2020. Pregnant women with COVID‐19 (n = 95) were compared with a control group of healthy pregnant women (n = 92) with similar clinical and demographic characteristics. Demographic features, clinical characteristics, laboratory test results, VEGF‐A values were compared between the groups. A correlation analysis was performed between VEGF‐A levels, inflammation parameters, and clinical characteristics of the cases for pregnant women with COVID‐19. VEGF‐A levels were also compared between patients with composite adverse outcome and patients without any complication in the COVID‐19 group. The two groups were similar except for obstetric complications (p > .05). The obstetric complication rate was higher in the COVID‐19 group (p =.02). The two groups were comparable in terms of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and VEGF‐A values. VEGF‐A values were slightly different between the trimesters. A negative moderate statistically significant correlation was found between the neutrophil and VEGF‐A values (r = −0.231, p =.02). VEGF‐A values were similar between patients with and without composite adverse outcomes (p > .05). VEGF‐A values were similar between pregnant women with COVID‐19 and healthy controls.