Hospitalized pregnant women with COVID-19 had higher prepregnancy obesity and gestational diabetes prevalences

This observational report examined prevalences of prepregnancy obesity and gestational diabetes among hospitalized pregnant women at eight U.S. health care centers. The study compared pregnant women hospitalized for COVID-19-related illness to pregnant women admitted for pregnancy-related treatment or procedures who were found to have COVID-19.

The main finding was that prevalences of both prepregnancy obesity and gestational diabetes were higher among women hospitalized for COVID-19-related illness. However, the report did not provide specific numbers, effect sizes, statistical measures, or sample sizes for these comparisons. The direction of association was reported as 'higher' but without quantification.

Safety and tolerability data were not reported. Key limitations include the observational design, which can only show association rather than causation, and the lack of reported statistical measures, effect sizes, or sample sizes. The report's practice relevance is limited by these methodological constraints and the absence of quantified risk estimates.

For clinical practice, this report suggests an association between prepregnancy obesity, gestational diabetes, and COVID-19 hospitalization severity in pregnant women, but the evidence remains preliminary without specific risk estimates. Clinicians should interpret these findings cautiously while awaiting more robust, quantified research.