Maternal Mortality Associated with COVID-19 According to Skin Color: Integrative Literature Review

Background: To describe the comparison between Black and White pregnant and postpartum women with COVID-19 regarding the need for hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit, mechanical ventilation, and outcome to death. Methods: Integrative Literature Review conducted in Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Excerpta Medica Database, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online via the National Library of Medicine, Science Direct from Elsevier Scientific Publications, SciVerse Scopus, and Web of Science. Results: Black pregnant and postpartum women presented worse clinical outcomes; the risk of death among these women was up to five times higher compared to White women, in addition to inequalities in timely access to intensive care. Conclusions: Black pregnant and postpartum women were disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with a higher risk of severe complications and death, which reinforces the need for care strategies that consider racial inequalities to reduce maternal mortality.