Multiple studies have revealed a correlation between infections in the mother during pregnancy and an increased likelihood of neurodevelopmental problems in the child born to that mother's fetus. What conclusions may the most recent study draw?
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| [Autism during pregnancy] |
There have been a number of studies that point to the possibility of a connection between infections that occur in a pregnant woman while she is carrying a child and an increased risk of neurodevelopmental conditions in the child later in life. These conditions include intellectual disability and autism. On the other hand, they have not been able to confirm that the mother's exposure to the virus is in fact the cause (and hence should be the goal of preventative initiatives), or whether there are other variables than this connection that are responsible for it. A further in-depth investigation of the association has been carried out by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings were presented in a journal called The Lancet Psychiatry.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 500,000 babies born in Stockholm between the years 1987 and 2010 to determine if there is a causal relationship between infections in the pregnant woman during pregnancy and the onset of autism or intellectual disability in the baby. This was done in an effort to find out if there is such a relationship. With the exception of Covid-19, the study was limited to just taking into consideration sufficiently significant illnesses that needed the attention of specialists.
Autism may not be caused by infections in pregnancy
The researchers made the observation, which is consistent with the findings of prior study, that infections that needed specialized treatment during pregnancy were associated with an elevated risk of intellectual impairment and autistic spectrum disorder in offspring. However, when the researchers studied pairs of children whose mothers had caught an illness during one of their pregnancies but not the other, they could not find any evidence to support this association. According to the senior author of the research, Hkan Karlsson, "our findings may soothe pregnant parents by demonstrating that infections during pregnancy may not represent as significant a danger to the baby's brain as was previously assumed."
The risk is similar if the infection is contracted before pregnancy
The risk of intellectual impairment and autistic spectrum disorder was also explored in this research for offspring of mothers who had been infected with the virus in the year leading up to their pregnancies. According to the findings of the study, illnesses that occurred in the year before to a woman becoming pregnant are connected to an increased risk of autism to the same amount as infections that occurred during pregnancy. However, because of the possibility of intellectual impairment, the findings are not as conclusive: it is not possible to rule out the possibility that infections during pregnancy would make children more likely to have this disease. However, the researchers say that contrary to what was previously believed, infections that occur during pregnancy could not increase the likelihood of intellectual impairment to the same level.
Genetic variation and environmental factors increase the risk of autism
According to the findings of the research, the relationship between infections in pregnant women and the higher risk of autism in their children does not seem to be a causative one. This is the conclusion that can be drawn from the findings. Martin Brynge, one of the first two authors of the study, stated that "our results rather suggest" that the increased risk is more likely to be explained by factors that are common to family members, such as genetic variation or some shared environmental factors. This was one of the first two authors of the study.
The importance of screening in pregnancy
The findings of the Swedish research do not contradict those of established studies that have shown strong links between certain viral infections during pregnancy, such as an infection with cytomegalovirus and rubella, and the risk of serious developing conditions in the baby. These studies have shown that rubella and cytomegalovirus infection both increase the risk of serious developing conditions in the baby. "Therefore, it is essential that women who are pregnant undergo the checks that are recommended by specialists in order to exclude infections or to ascertain their presence early, thereby preventing any damage to the unborn child," the researchers state. "This is because infections can cause damage to the unborn child."