Diabetes, fertility treatment, family history up autism risk in infants

A recent Egypt study has identified several maternal and neonatal factors contributing to the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in infants, including the use of assisted fertility treatments, family medical history, and threatened abortion.

Researchers conducted a case-control study, enrolling 268 mothers of children with ASD and comparing them against 504 mothers with non-ASD children. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify preconception, conception, and postconception factors tied to ASD development in the offspring.

This analysis revealed that living in an urban setting increased the likelihood of ASD by more than twice (odds ratio [OR], 2.33, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.60–3.38). A similar effect was reported for having a family history of diabetes (OR, 5.98, 95 percent CI, 1.99–17.97) and ASD (OR, 7.24, 95 percent CI, 2.00–26.24). Assisted fertility treatments (OR, 4.01, 95 percent CI, 1.20–13.38) also aggravated such risk.

During pregnancy, exposure to passive smoking (OR, 2.95, 95 percent CI, 1.86–4.68), hypertension (OR, 3.64, 95 percent CI, 1.06–12.51), and threatened abortion (OR, 3.10, 95 percent CI, 1.44–6.67) increased ASD risk in infants, while vitamin intake (OR, 0.09, 95 percent CI, 0.06–0.16) had a significantly protective effect.

After birth, infants with convulsions (OR, 14.88, 95 percent CI, 5.01–44.20) and those who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (OR, 2.13, 95 percent CI, 1.21–3.74) were significantly more likely to develop ASD.

“We believe that the findings of this study can help in future national screenings and educational programs. Longitudinal studies that link maternal and neonatal data of Egyptian mothers and their offspring to hospital records are warranted,” the researchers said.