Researching COVID to enhance recovery (RECOVER) pregnancy study: Rationale, objectives and design
Metz, TD; Clifton, RG; Gallagher, R; et. al.; RECOVER Initiative, PLOS ONE
Published
December 2023
Journal
PLOS ONE
Abstract
Pregnancy induces unique physiologic changes to the immune response and hormonal changes leading to plausible differences in the risk of developing post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), or Long COVID. Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy may also have long-term ramifications for exposed offspring, and it is critical to evaluate the health outcomes of exposed children. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Multi-site Observational Study of PASC aims to evaluate the long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in various populations. RECOVER-Pregnancy was designed specifically to address long-term outcomes in maternal-child dyads.
Authors
Torri D Metz, Rebecca G Clifton, Richard Gallagher, Rachel S Gross, Leora I Horwitz, Vanessa L Jacoby, Susanne P Martin-Herz, Myriam Peralta-Carcelen, Harrison T Reeder, Carmen J Beamon, James Chan, A Ann Chang, Maged M Costantine, Megan L Fitzgerald, Andrea S Foulkes, Kelly S Gibson, Nick Güthe, Mounira Habli, David N Hackney, Matthew K Hoffman, M Camille Hoffman, Brenna L Hughes, Stuart D Katz, Victoria Laleau, Gail Mallett, Hector Mendez-Figueroa, Vanessa Monzon, Anna Palatnik, Kristy T S Palomares, Samuel Parry, Christian M Pettker, Beth A Plunkett, Athena Poppas, Uma M Reddy, Dwight J Rouse, George R Saade, Grecio J Sandoval, Shannon M Schlater, Frank C Sciurba, Hyagriv N Simhan, Daniel W Skupski, Amber Sowles, Tanayott Thaweethai, Gelise L Thomas, John M Thorp, Alan T Tita, Steven J Weiner, Samantha Weigand, Lynn M Yee, Valerie J Flaherman,
Keywords
Adult; Pregnancy; Female; Humans; COVID-19/epidemiology; SARS-CoV-2; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; Pandemics/prevention & control; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies
Short Summary
A COVID-19 infection can lead to new symptoms, or symptoms that do not go away. This condition is called Long COVID. RECOVER researchers are working to answer questions about Long COVID in pregnant people. To do this, they are studying 2,300 pregnant people and their babies in the US to understand how often pregnant people get Long COVID; how the body changes when someone has Long COVID; what makes some people more likely to develop Long COVID, such as where a person lives and their age, race, and sex; and what happens in the body that might cause Long COVID. RECOVER researchers are also studying how COVID during pregnancy affects child development. This paper is important because it can show other scientists how to do their own research on Long COVID in pregnant people.