Risk combination: COVID-19 and preeclampsia. Case series and literature review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To present cases of pregnant women with COVID-19 and preeclampsia that showed torpid evolution and unfavorable outcomes. As well as a review of the literature to know the prevalence of both pathologies and their similarities, to be able to differentiate them and to evaluate the most appropriate management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search was performed in databases, finding 120 articles, of which a total of 33 articles were included for the literature review. RESULTS: We report four cases of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection and preeclampsia who presented torpid evolutions with complications such as eclampsia, stroke, HELLP syndrome, acute kidney injury, DIC, pneumonia, maternal death and fetal death. This shows that pregnant women with these two pathologies can present severe complications where morbidity and risk of death are high. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of preeclampsia and COVID-19 represents a diagnostic challenge due to similar clinical, laboratory and pathophysiology data. PCR testing should be considered for all women with high-risk pregnancies and those presenting with symptoms suggestive of preeclampsia to avoid delay in diagnosis. © 2021 Asociacion Mexicana de Ginecologia y Obstetricia. All rights reserved.