Title: Surge in Rare Congenital Condition Raises Concerns Among Chinese Doctors
Subtitle: Doctors speculate on possible link to COVID-19 as fetuses with situs inversus quadruple in China
[Date]
Doctors in China are reporting a significant increase in the number of fetuses diagnosed with situs inversus, a rare congenital condition where the organs in the chest and abdomen are arranged in a mirror image of their normal positions. According to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, the rate of fetuses with the condition quadrupled in the first seven months of 2023 compared to historic rates.
The report is based on data from two major obstetric centers in the cities of Shanghai and Changsha, where doctors combined their clinical records from January 2014 through July 2023. The findings showed that the yearly total of situs inversus cases was typically around five to six per 10,000 pregnant individuals undergoing ultrasounds from 2014 to 2022. However, in 2023, the rate jumped to nearly 24 cases per 10,000 ultrasound screenings.
The surge in situs inversus cases began in April 2023 and continued through June before returning to background rates in July. During this period, there were a total of 56 cases of situs inversus among 23,746 pregnant individuals undergoing ultrasounds.
Doctors speculate that the sudden increase in cases could be tied to a surge in COVID-19 infections, which affected over 82% of China’s population and peaked at the end of December 2022. Around four months after the peak in COVID-19 cases, the surge in situs inversus cases was observed. The authors propose that the virus may have directly infected fetuses in utero or indirectly affected them through maternal inflammatory responses.
However, the report does not present supporting evidence linking COVID-19 to the increase in situs inversus cases. It also lacks data on whether pregnant individuals with fetuses diagnosed with the condition had COVID-19 during their pregnancies or how their infection rates compared to pregnancies without situs inversus. Additionally, the report does not include information on genetic and environmental factors known to be associated with situs inversus. It is worth noting that while the number of cases quadrupled, situs inversus remains a rare condition overall, and no similar spikes were observed during previous waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
The authors of the report emphasize that no definitive conclusions can be drawn regarding the cause of the unusual spike. Nevertheless, they call for further research to investigate the possible link between SARS-CoV-2 and situs inversus incidence. Importantly, individuals with situs inversus generally lead normal lives and have normal life spans.
As Chinese doctors strive to understand the reasons behind this surge in situs inversus cases, ongoing research in the field of congenital disorders and potential associations with COVID-19 may shed more light on this puzzling phenomenon.