A Multicenter Cohort Study on the Adverse Effects Evaluation After Messenger RNA COVID-19 Vaccination Among Pregnant Healthcare Employees in Penang General Hospitals.

Introduction: The year 2020 saw the emergence of novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which became a great threat to public health worldwide. The exponential spread of the disease with millions of lives lost worldwide saw the emergence of an accelerated vaccine development with emergency approval from well-known regulatory bodies such as the US Food and Drug Administration, followed by widespread vaccine deployment despite a paucity in safety profile data. This issue becomes even more pronounced when it involves expectant mothers considering the possible undesirable effect toward the unborn child. Method: This was a retrospective cohort study which was conducted at six general hospitals in the state of Penang, Malaysia. All the pregnant employees who have consented to take the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and participate in this study were monitored from the time of their first vaccination and up to 28 days after they delivered their babies. Results: All the participants had adequate maximum vertical pocket (MVP) and no obvious anomalies or detection of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) were detected during the second trimester. However, one subject was reported to have miscarried during the second trimester. The reported mean neonate birth weight was 3.0 kg with the mean Apgar score of 8.8 and 9.8 at 1 and 5 min, respectively. Approximately seven (5.8%) neonates were reported to be small for their gestational age. Another three (2.5%) neonates were reported to have anomalies. Conclusion: As a whole, the inference that can be made from this study is that mRNA COVID-19 vaccine appears to be safe in pregnant women regardless of the trimester as the findings did not show obvious safety warning signs.

Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous Iron Sucrose versus Low Molecular Weight Iron Dextran for Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the efficacy, side effects, and clinical outcomes between parenteral iron sucrose complex (ISC) and low-molecular-weight iron dextran (LMWID) for iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pregnancy. METHODS: The study was conducted in a Malaysian tertiary hospital for a period of 1 year. Forty pregnant women with IDA between 24 and 38 weeks of gestation were randomized into two groups receiving treatment with either ISC or LMWID. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of demographic data, parity, and mean gestational age. A mean total of 835 ± 150 mg doses of ISC and 656 ± 382 mg doses of LMWID were administered (P = 0.0001). Adverse events were reported in five patients who received LMWID and none in those treated with ISC (P = 0.024). The mean hemoglobin (Hb) level increment 2 weeks post treatment was higher among those who received ISC than in those who received LMWID. The ISC group demonstrated an increase of 1.91 ± 1.10 g/dL (from 8.43 ± 1.03 g/dL to 10.29 ± 0.90 g/dL) compared with the LMWID group at 1.39 ± 0.54 g/dL (from 8.61 ± 0.70 g/dL to 9.92 ± 0.88 g/dL, P = 0.023). All participants in both groups delivered at term. The estimated blood loss during delivery was significantly higher in the LMWID group (359 ± 247 mL) than in the ISC group (280 ± 100 mL, P = 0.026). Otherwise, no significant difference was observed in terms of Hb level during delivery and the perinatal outcomes for both groups. CONCLUSION: Parenteral ISC is more effective than LMWID in treating maternal IDA, and it is associated with fewer adverse events.