Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42498798›Full record

ArticleJournal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association2026

The association of in utero SARS-CoV-2 exposure on neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 and 22 months.

Ashraf Kharrat, Erin Gleeson, Vanessa Pippert, Shaheen Doctor, Douglas Campbell, Catherine Taylor, Simone Vaz, Taslim Dawood, Seungwoo Lee, Jyotsna Shah and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Ashraf KharratDepartment of Paediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. ashraf.kharrat@sinaihealth.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7525-2523
Erin GleesonDepartment of Paediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Vanessa PippertDepartment of Paediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Shaheen DoctorDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Douglas CampbellSt. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Catherine TaylorTrillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
Simone VazWilliam Osler Health System, Brampton, ON, Canada.
Taslim DawoodMarkham-Stouffville Hospital, Markham, ON, Canada.
Seungwoo LeeMaternal-Infant Care Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-7449-5985
Jyotsna ShahDepartment of Paediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Edmond KellyDepartment of Paediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Prakesh S ShahDepartment of Paediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from mother to fetus is rare, the neurodevelopmental impact of in utero SARS-CoV-2 exposure on infants needs further elucidation.

objectiveTo investigate the neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 and 22 corrected age among infants who had exposure to confirmed maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy. DESIGN/

methodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study of neonates born to women with SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy, from March 2020 to December 2022 (COVID-19 waves 1-5). Infants were recruited from six (5 community and 1 tertiary) hospitals. Data were collected at birth and three subsequent time periods. A telephone call was made at one month to assess general health and wellness. A virtual neurodevelopmental assessment was conducted at 12 months using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales (CSBS). In-person neurodevelopmental assessment was conducted at 22 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-4th Edition (BSID-IV).

resultsA total of 142 infants were recruited and included in the study. Of those, a one-month assessment was completed in 141 (99%), a 12-month assessment completed in 63 (44%), and a 22-month assessment completed in 44 (31%) infants. At one month, most infants had no medical concerns; 11 infants were re-admitted to the hospital within the first month of life, predominantly for hyperbilirubinemia. At 12 months, median ASQ and CSBS scores were above standardized cut-offs for development across all developmental domains. At 22 months, while the median standard cognitive, language, and motor scores were within the average classification (25-37th percentile), twenty-three (52%) infants presented with developmental impairment (score <85); 13 (30%) in motor, 17 (39%) in language, and 13 (30%) in cognitive domains. Nine (20%) infants were below cut-off for all three domains. Multivariable logistic modelling did not identify an independent relationship between trimester of SARS-CoV-2 acquisition or positive SARS-CoV-2 test at delivery and the presence of developmental delay on BSID-IV in any domain. No child had hearing impairment or blindness.

conclusionsDevelopmental delay at 22 months may be identified among infants with in utero exposure to SARS-CoV-2, despite typical developmental progress at 12 months. These findings may be impacted by the loss to follow-up rate. Of those with developmental diversity, language delay was most common.

Identifiers

PMID42498798

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.