RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS INFECTION DURING PREGNANCY
Name: FLÁVIA CRISTINA GRASSELLI RODRIGUES
Publication date: 23/09/2025
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| CREUZA RACHEL VICENTE | Presidente |
| CRISPIM CERUTTI JUNIOR | Examinador Interno |
| MARIANGELA FREITAS DA SILVEIRA | Examinador Externo |
| NEIDE APARECIDA TOSATO BOLDRINI | Examinador Externo |
Summary: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection has a higher incidence among adults of reproductive
age and poses a potential risk to pregnant women and their newborns. Vertical transmission
occurs mainly in the peripartum period, associated with high maternal viremia, and may
result in neonatal complications such as prematurity, low birth weight, asphyxia, and
neurological manifestations. This study aimed to investigate the risks associated with
gestational CHIKV infection in pregnant women and neonates, in order to expand scientific
knowledge on the maternal–infant impacts of this arboviral disease and to provide evidence
to support the formulation and improvement of public policies for surveillance, prevention,
and clinical management of infection during pregnancy.A retrospective cohort study was
conducted with 144 pregnant women infected with CHIKV, confirmed by IgM or RT-PCR,
matched 1:3 by propensity score with 429 uninfected pregnant women. Data were obtained
from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), the Espírito Santo Health and
Surveillance Information Systems (eSUS-VS), the Live Birth Information System
(SINASC), and the Mortality Information System (SIM). Chi-square tests, Mann–Whitney
tests, binary logistic regression, and multiple linear regression were applied to adjust
associations, with a significance level of 5%. Infection was more prevalent in the third
trimester (43.1%). No deaths or congenital malformations were recorded. Prematurity
(8.6% vs. 4.8%), low birth weight (6.2% vs. 3.5%), and asphyxia at the 1st minute (3.9%
vs. 3.2%) were more frequent among infected women than uninfected women, without
statistically significant differences. Infection reduced the mean APGAR score at 1 minute
by 0.22 points (p = 0.033). The third trimester increased the risk of prematurity (p = 0.014).
In conclusion, in this sample, CHIKV infection during pregnancy was not associated with
prematurity, low birth weight, or asphyxia, although it slightly affected immediate neonatal
vitality. The findings reinforce the need for continuous epidemiological surveillance and
studies with greater statistical power to fully elucidate the maternal–infant effects of
CHIKV.
