Authors:
Langridge AT; Glasson EJ; Nassar N; Jacoby P; Pennell C; Hagan R; Bourke J; Leonard H; Stanley FJ
Authors notes:
PLoS ONE. 2013;8(1):e50963
Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual disability, Perinatal factors, Maternal conditions, Intrauterine environment
Abstract:
As well as being highly comorbid conditions, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) share a number of clinically-relevant phenomena.
To examine maternal conditions and perinatal factors for children diagnosed with an ASD, with or without ID, and children with ID of unknown cause, compared with unaffected children.
In univariate analyses mild-moderate ID was associated with pregnancy hypertension, asthma, urinary tract infection, some types of ante-partum haemorrhage, any type of preterm birth, elective C-sections, breech presentation, poor fetal growth and need for resuscitation at birth, with all factors showing an increased risk.
Severe ID was positively associated with poor fetal growth and need for resuscitation, as well as any labour or delivery complication.
In the multivariate analysis no maternal conditions or perinatal factors were associated with an increased risk of ASD without ID.
However, pregnancy hypertension and small head circumference were associated with a reduced risk.
For ASD with ID, threatened abortion before 20 weeks gestation and poor fetal growth were associated with an increased risk.
Findings show that indicators of a poor intrauterine environment are associated with an elevated risk of ID, while for ASD, and particularly ASD without ID, the associations are much weaker.
As such, these findings highlight the importance of accounting for the absence or presence of ID when examining ASD, if we are to improve our understanding of the causal pathways associated with these conditions.