Purpose SARS‐CoV‐2 (COVID‐19) infection is known to cause acute respiratory disease and long‐term tissue damage. However, its persistent effects on placental and umbilical cord tissues after maternal recovery remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate chronic inflammation and cell death in the postpartum placenta and umbilical cord vascular endothelium of women who experienced COVID‐19 during pregnancy and recovered before delivery. Materials and Methods Placental and umbilical cord tissues obtained at delivery from women who recovered from COVID‐19 during pregnancy and from women without COVID‐19 were evaluated using Hematoxylin–Eosin and Masson’s Trichrome staining. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to assess interleukin (IL)‐1α, IL‐6, IL‐18, Beclin‐1, and Caspase‐3 immunoreactivities. Results In the post‐COVID‐19 group, placental trophoblast cells showed significantly increased IL‐1α, IL‐18, Caspase‐3, and Beclin‐1 immunoreactivities, whereas no significant difference was observed in IL‐6 immunoreactivity compared to controls. In contrast, all investigated markers were significantly increased in the umbilical cord amniotic membrane and vein wall endothelium of the post‐COVID‐19 group. Conclusion These findings indicate that maternal COVID‐19 infection may lead to persistent inflammatory and cell death–related changes in the placenta and umbilical cord even after clinical recovery. Notably, inflammatory alterations appear to persist on the fetal side after delivery, despite the absence of adverse perinatal outcomes.
Karaca et al. (Thu,) studied this question.