In Utero Exposure to Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection Is Associated With Higher Left Ventricular Mass in Toddlers

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2024 May 31;11(6):ofae305. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae305. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Abstract

The intrauterine environment plays a critical role in shaping chronic disease risk over the life course. We prospectively evaluated cardiometabolic outcomes in toddlers born to mothers with versus without prenatal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Children with in utero severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 exposure had higher left ventricular mass in association with altered maternal immunologic indices.

Keywords: COVID-19; cardiometabolic disease; developmental origins of disease; in utero; left ventricular mass.