Neuromotor repertoires in infants exposed to maternal COVID-19 during pregnancy: a cohort study

Objective To evaluate neuromotor repertoires and developmental milestones in infants exposed to antenatal COVID-19.Design Longitudinal cohort study.Setting Hospital-based study in Los Angeles, USA and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil between March 2020 and December 2021.Participants Infants born to mothers with COVID-19 during pregnancy and prepandemic control infants from the Graz University Database.Interventions General movement assessment (GMA) videos between 3 and 5 months post-term age were collected and clinical assessments/developmental milestones evaluated at 6–8 months of age. Cases were matched by gestational age, gender and post-term age to prepandemic neurotypical unexposed controls from the database.Main outcome measures Motor Optimality Scores Revised (MOS-R) at 3–5 months. Presence of developmental delay (DD) at 6–8 months.Results 239 infants were enrolled; 124 cases (83 in the USA/41 in Brazil) and 115 controls. GMA was assessed in 115 cases and 115 controls; 25% were preterm. Median MOS-R in cases was 23 (IQR 21–24, range 9–28) vs 25 (IQR 24–26, range 20–28) in controls, p