Cleft lip and palate and periconception COVID-19 infection in five arab countries.

BACKGROUND

Little is known about factors associated with the severity of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) especially during the COVID-19 pandemic with its dramatic changes.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this multi-national study is to measure the association between CL/P severity, COVID-19 infection, and fear of COVID-19 in five Arab countries.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study took place in major governmental hospitals in five Arab countries from November 2020 to April 2023. Participants were infants born with CL/P and their mothers who were in their 1st trimester during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical examination was carried out, and CL/P cases were grouped according to phenotype: cleft lip and palate (CLP) versus cleft lip (CL), cleft extension (incomplete versus complete), and site (unilateral versus bilateral) to assess severity. Information on maternal COVID-19 infection and fear of COVID-19 were gathered.

RESULTS

The study recruited 273 CL/P infants. Maternal COVID-19 infection during one-month pre-gestation and 1st trimester was significantly associated with higher odds of CL/P severity (AOR = 2.707; P = 0.002) than mothers without the COVID-19 infection. Using supplements during pregnancy showed a protective effect (AOR = 0.573; P = 0.065).

CONCLUSION

Mothers infected with COVID-19 before and during pregnancy had more than twofold higher odds of having an infant with a more severe CL/P phenotype.