Having Covid-19 or being vaccinated against the infection during pregnancy does not impact fetal brain development or subsequent child development up to age 13-15 months, a study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh analysed data from almost 25,000 babies born in Scotland during the pandemic.
They found no association between developmental skills such as speech, thinking, movement and language at 13 to 15 months when the mother had either been vaccinated against Covid-19 or had caught the infection during pregnancy.
The study, published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, provides new data on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccinations during pregnancy on early brain development.
Large study recorded developmental concerns
The researchers created a large population-level health data set that assessed most children born in Scotland during the pandemic. The data combined the Covid-19 in Pregnancy in Scotland (COPS) dataset with health review data collected in babies aged 13-15 months old and other data sets of children estimated to have been conceived after May 2020 and born before September 2021 and their mothers.
Parents and caregivers reported developmental concerns or health visitors identified them. These concerns included speech, language, and communication issues, as well as problem-solving, gross motor, personal–social, and emotional–behavioural issues observed between 13 and 15 months. Statistical analysis provided information on the links between SARS-CoV-2 infection, Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy, and developmental concerns.
Six and a half per cent of the children were exposed to Covid-19 before birth, and 19.8 per cent of mothers received a Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy. Researchers found no evidence of increased chances of developmental issues among children in either group.
The Covid-19 vaccine was associated with better infant development outcomes. Children born to mothers who had the vaccine were 22 per cent less likely to have difficulties with problem-solving skills, 24 per cent less likely to have personal–social development issues, and 33 per cent less likely to have emotional–behavioural development problems.
The timing of the infection or vaccination during pregnancy did not influence the findings.
Future research in older age groups
Dr Iain Hardie, from the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, said: ‘Our study suggests that neither SARS-CoV-2 infection, nor COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy impact fetal brain development and subsequent child development up to age 13-15 months. These important findings can help inform clinical guidance and reassure pregnant individuals of the safety of Covid-19 vaccines.’
The team cautioned that some developmental concerns are not apparent until children are older than 13-15 months. Their future research will examine the same group of children for developmental issues between 27 and 30 months and 4 to 5 years.
