TL;DR
Get everyday helpers delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
A U.S. study of 224,353 children found that several maternal health conditions during pregnancy were associated with autism diagnoses. Associations for overweight or obesity, depression, asthma and pregnancy complications were stronger among white mothers, though the observational findings do not establish cause and may be affected by differences in healthcare access or diagnosis.
A study of 224,353 children born in Northern California found that maternal health conditions during pregnancy were associated with autism diagnoses across racial and ethnic groups, while four associations were stronger among children of white mothers. The findings, reported by researchers led by Magdalena Janecka of NYU Grossman School of Medicine, describe patterns in health records; they do not show that the conditions caused autism.
The researchers examined children born from 2010 through 2017 in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California health system. Of the children, 5,448 were diagnosed with autism. The study assessed 25 maternal diagnoses previously identified as potentially associated with autism, using health-system records for both maternal conditions and children’s diagnoses.
Most maternal conditions had similar relationships with autism across the racial and ethnic groups examined. However, maternal overweight or obesity, depression, asthma and pregnancy complications had stronger associations among white mothers than among Black, Hispanic, or Asian and Pacific Islander mothers. Four of the 25 diagnoses had statistically significant interactions with maternal race and ethnicity, the researchers reported. Two other factors—pain associated with female genital organs and the menstrual cycle, and bipolar disorder—were not statistically significant after adjustment for multiple testing.
Autism was diagnosed in 2.4% of the children overall. Recorded prevalence was 3.2% among Black children, 2.9% among Asian and Pacific Islander children, 2.5% among Hispanic children and 2.0% among white children. The average age at diagnosis was three. These figures describe this study population and should not be taken as proof that race itself causes differences in autism or maternal health.
Why Different Associations Matter
The results suggest that studies of pregnancy-related health factors and autism may miss important variation if they assume associations are identical across populations. Understanding where the patterns differ could help researchers investigate whether healthcare access, diagnosis, treatment, environmental exposures or other factors shape the results.
The findings are also relevant to how maternal conditions are identified in medical records. Recorded diagnoses depend on access to care, and differences in whether or when a condition is recognized may affect comparisons between groups. The study does not establish which explanation accounts for the differences, or whether any particular maternal condition directly affects a child’s likelihood of autism.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How Researchers Studied Pregnancy Conditions
Earlier research has reported associations between autism in offspring and several maternal conditions, including obesity, diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, asthma, and psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety. The new study examined a broader set of diagnoses and considered whether associations varied by maternal race and ethnicity.
Janecka told MedPage Today that many studies assume potential risk-factor effects are the same across population groups, although they may vary. She said the researchers aimed to examine that variation, while noting that other dimensions—such as insurance status—also need study.
In an accompanying editorial, Aisha Dickerson of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health noted that electronic health records enable large observational studies but still rely on people having access to healthcare. She said the findings support continued attention to healthcare equity and to how maternal and child race and identity are considered in research.
“As advantageous as electronic health records have proven to be for large-scale observational studies, these metrics still require healthcare access.”
— Aisha Dickerson, in an accompanying editorial
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Limits of the Health Record Findings
The study is observational, so it cannot determine whether maternal conditions caused autism or explain why four associations were stronger among white mothers. The researchers said differences could reflect healthcare access or diagnostic practices, as well as environmental or genetic factors that were not measured. The study did not establish which of these possibilities explains the results.
Health-record data may miss conditions that were undiagnosed or care received outside the system. The follow-up period was also limited, so children diagnosed at older ages may not have been captured. The authors noted that factors beyond race and ethnicity could contribute to the observed patterns. The results apply to the study cohort and may not represent every population or healthcare setting.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Questions for Future Research
The study authors said other dimensions, including insurance status, need examination. Further research could test whether access to care, diagnosis and treatment help explain the differences, and whether the patterns hold in other populations and health systems. Longer follow-up would also help capture autism diagnoses made at later ages.
For now, the findings add evidence about associations, not a basis for concluding that a particular pregnancy condition causes autism. The researchers’ stated next step is to examine variation across more factors and clarify what may underlie the associations.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
Did the study show that maternal health conditions cause autism?
No. It was a retrospective observational study and found associations in health records; it cannot establish that the conditions caused autism.
Which associations differed by maternal race and ethnicity?
The associations for maternal overweight or obesity, depression, asthma and pregnancy complications were stronger among white mothers than among Black, Hispanic, or Asian and Pacific Islander mothers.
How many children were included?
The study followed 224,353 children born in Kaiser Permanente Northern California from 2010 to 2017. A total of 5,448 had an autism diagnosis recorded.
What might explain the differences?
The researchers said possible explanations include differences in healthcare access or diagnostic practices, along with environmental or genetic factors not measured in the study. The results do not identify which explanation is responsible.
What were the study’s main limitations?
Health records depend on access to care and may not capture undiagnosed conditions. The follow-up period also could miss autism diagnoses made at older ages, and the observational design cannot establish cause and effect.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
