Maternal autistic traits are linked to the risk of poor birth outcomes

 

 

Risk increases for preterm births, moderate-to-late early births, extremely preterm births, and tiny for gestational age.

A higher level of maternal autistic traits is associated with an increased risk for adverse birth outcomes, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in JAMA Network Open.

Mariko Hosozawa, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo, and colleagues investigated the link between maternal autistic traits and the risk of adverse birth outcomes in a cohort study involving mothers of singletons from a nationwide, multicenter prospective birth cohort. 87,687 women self-reported autistic features throughout the second and third trimesters, using the abbreviated form of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient Japanese version (AQ-J10).

Of the women, 2,350 (2.7%) had AQ-J10 scores that were within the clinical range, and 18 (0.02%) had an autistic spectrum disorder diagnosis. After controlling for maternal and pregnancy-related factors, the researchers discovered that a higher AQ-J10 score was linked to an increased risk for all birth outcomes, including preterm births, moderate-to-late preterm births, very preterm births, and children born small for gestational age (SGA; relative risk per one-standard deviation increase, 1.06, 1.05, 1.16, and 1.04, respectively). Increased risk for all outcomes was linked to higher AQ-J10 scores; women in the clinical range were more likely to give birth to preterm infants, moderate-to-late preterm infants, very preterm infants, and SGA babies than women outside the range (relative risks, 1.16, 1.12, 1.49, and 1.11. respectively)

“Health care practitioners should acknowledge the significant perinatal health disparity experienced by women with a high level of autistic traits, particularly those with autistic traits in the clinical range,” the authors of the paper wrote.

Several writers have declared links to the pharmaceutical business.

For Full Information

Must Read