A Micro-Level Analysis of Physiological Responses to COVID-19: Continuous Monitoring of Pregnant Women in California

• Main Authors: Tamara Jimah (Author), Priscilla Kehoe (Author), Holly Borg (Author), Pamela Pimentel (Author), Amir Rahmani (Author), Nikil Dutt (Author), Yuqing Guo (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-04-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2296-2565; 10.3389/fpubh.2022.808763
• Keywords: COVID-19; cardiorespiratory response; sleep; pregnancy; wearable technology; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Frontiers in Public Health, Vol 10 (2022)

Continuous monitoring of perinatal women in a descriptive case study allowed us the opportunity to examine the time during which the COVID-19 infection led to physiological changes in two low-income pregnant women. An important component of this study was the use of a wearable sensor device, the Oura ring, to monitor and record vital physiological parameters during sleep. Two women in their second and third trimesters, respectively, were selected based on a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Both women were tested using the polymerase chain reaction method to confirm the presence of the virus during which time we were able to collect these physiological data. In both cases, we observed 3-6 days of peak physiological changes in resting heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and respiratory rate (RR), as well as sleep surrounding the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. The pregnant woman in her third trimester showed a significant increase in resting HR (p = 0.006) and RR (p = 0.048), and a significant decrease in HRV (p = 0.027) and deep sleep duration (p = 0.029). She reported experiencing moderate COVID-19 symptoms and did not require hospitalization. At 38 weeks of gestation, she had a normal delivery and gave birth to a healthy infant. The participant in her second trimester showed similar physiological changes during the 3-day peak period. Importantly, these changes appeared to return to the pre-peak levels. Common symptoms reported by both cases included loss of smell and nasal congestion, with one losing her sense of taste. Results suggest the potential to use the changes in cardiorespiratory responses and sleep for real-time monitoring of health and well-being during pregnancy.