A groundbreaking study published in The Lancet has uncovered significant connections between maternal diabetes and increased risks of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Researchers analyzed over 56 million pregnancy records, revealing that diabetes during pregnancy can potentially impact a child's neurological development. The study found links to conditions like autism, ADHD, and various developmental disorders, with pre-gestational diabetes showing the strongest associations. These findings underscore the critical importance of proactive diabetes management and comprehensive monitoring for pregnant women.
April 08, 2025
Maternal diabetes may raise babies' risk of autism, ADHD: Lancet
"Maternal
diabetes is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental
disorders" - Lancet Research Team
A large
study of 56·1 million pregnancies, published in The Lancet Diabetes and
Endocrinology on Tuesday, has reinforced the link between maternal diabetes and
the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Key Points
1 Large-scale study of 56 million pregnancies reveals critical health
connections
2 Pre-gestational diabetes shows stronger neurodevelopmental disorder
links
3 Global diabetes prevalence steadily increasing worldwide
Researchers from the Central South University in China conducted a
systematic review and meta-analysis of 202 studies, involving 56,082,462
mother-child pairs.
The results
showed that maternal diabetes was associated with increased risks of all types
of neurodevelopmental disorders as well as lower intelligence and psychomotor
scores.
Children
exposed to maternal diabetes had an increased risk of any neurodevelopmental
disorder including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, intellectual disability,
specific developmental disorders, communication disorder, motor disorder, and
learning disorder, compared with unexposed children.
"Maternal
diabetes is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders
and impaired neurodevelopmental performance in children," said the
researchers.
Maternal
diabetes which includes both pre-gestational diabetes (also known as preexisting
diabetes) and gestational diabetes -- high blood sugar during pregnancy -- has
become increasingly prevalent, affecting millions of pregnancies worldwide.
The global
prevalences of pre-gestational diabetes and gestational diabetes have also
steadily increased over the past four decades, with pre-gestational diabetes
affecting about 2·4 per cent and gestational diabetes affecting 27·6 per cent
of pregnancies worldwide.
Obesity and
metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of conditions, including hypertension, diabetes,
excess abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels -- are known to be the
major drivers.
Besides
negative impacts such as caesarean section, macrosomia (excessive birth
weight), and neonatal jaundice, affecting both mothers and neonates, previous
studies have shown maternal diabetes might alter foetal brain development.
Notably,
pre-gestational diabetes was more strongly associated with the risk of most
neurodevelopmental disorders in children than gestational diabetes.
The findings also emphasise "the importance of proactive
interventions for women at risk of developing diabetes and continuous
monitoring of children with a history of in-utero exposure to maternal
diabetes", the researchers added.
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