Common pregnancy complication linked to ‘increased risk of autism and ADHD in children’, study suggests

A PREGNANCY complication has been linked to a greater risk of autism and ADHD, a new study suggests.

While more research is needed, researchers said the “diligent monitoring”; of up until birth is “imperative”;.

A team in China reviewed 202 studies, including more than 56 million .

Some 110 looked at – which develops during pregnancy – while 80 looked at pre-gestational – a diagnosis before pregnancy.

The findings showed children of mums with diabetes while expecting had a 28 per cent increased risk of any neurodevelopmental disorder, compared to mums who did not have the condition, irrespective of other potential causes.

When looking at individual disorders, researchers found there was a 25 per cent increased risk of a 30 per cent increased risk of and a 32 per cent increased risk of intellectual disability.

Risks were higher in women who had diabetes before pregnancy compared to women who developed gestational diabetes.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to assess neurodevelopmental outcomes in children born to mothers with specific types of diabetes,”; the team said.

Responding to the study, published in The Lancet, Lucilla Poston, a professor of maternal and foetal health at King’s College London, said: “The human foetus is exquisitely vulnerable to changes in its environment which may affect life-long health.

“Also, data is emerging from MRI imaging of the brains of children exposed to maternal diabetes, showing structural and functional changes in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain intricately involved in both and physical health.

“For this and other reasons,, screening and treatment remain critically important not only for the health of the mother, but also her child.”;

Gestational diabetes affects one in 20 pregnancies in the UK, Diabetes UK says.

There are several factors that may put a woman at more risk, including being , having had a large baby in a previous pregnancy and having a South Asian, Black or African Caribbean or Middle Eastern background.

There are already known potential complications – in the baby, this includes growing larger than usual, which may lead to delivery problems, jaundice and .