Brazilian Black Women are at Higher Risk for COVID-19 Complications: An Analysis of REBRACO, a National Cohort

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the impact of the race (Black versus non-Black) on maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 in Brazil. Methods This is a subanalysis of REBRACO, a Brazilian multicenter cohort study designed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women. From February 2020 until February 2021, 15 maternity hospitals in Brazil collected data on women with respiratory symptoms. We selected all women with a positive test for COVID-19; then, we divided them into two groups: Black and non-Black women. Finally, we compared, between groups, sociodemographic, maternal, and perinatal outcomes. We obtained the frequency of events in each group and compared them using X2 test; p-values < 0.05 were considered significant. We also estimated the odds ratio (OR) and confidence intervals (CI). Results 729 symptomatic women were included in the study; of those, 285 were positive for COVID-19, 120 (42.1%) were Black, and 165 (57.9%) were non-Black. Black women had worse education (p = 0.037). The timing of access to the health system was similar between both groups, with 26.3% being included with seven or more days of symptoms. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (OR 2.22 CI 1.17-4.21), intensive care unit admission (OR 2.00 CI 1.07-3.74), and desaturation at admission (OR 3.72 CI 1.41-9.84) were more likely to occur among Black women. Maternal death was higher among Black women (7.8% vs. 2.6%, p = 0.048). Perinatal outcomes were similar between both groups. Conclusion Brazilian Black women were more likely to die due to the consequences of COVID-19.