Perinatal and maternal factors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #Maternal Health
- #Perinatal Factors
- #Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, including prenatal and perinatal exposures.
- Higher maternal BMI in early pregnancy is associated with increased likelihood of ASD, with similar associations across different ASD subgroups.
- Maternal smoking in early pregnancy and cesarean delivery (both elective and emergency) are linked to higher odds of ASD, with stronger associations in children without intellectual disability and less severe ASD.
- Subgroup-specific associations were found for maternal epilepsy and gestational diabetes, while prematurity showed weaker associations and was mainly observed in severe ASD and non-familial cases.
- Low Apgar scores at 5 minutes showed no consistent association with ASD.
- The study underscores the importance of considering ASD heterogeneity in research on neurodevelopmental variation.