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Children born to mothers who developed SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy may be more likely to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder at 12 months of age, according to new research.[1]
Dr. Andrea G. Edlow, M.Sc., of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School in Boston, United States, and colleagues examined data from 18,355 births between March 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021, at 8 hospitals in two health systems in Massachusetts, United States.
Of these births, 883 (4.8%) were to people who tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 during pregnancy. Among children exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in utero, 26 (3%) received a neurodevelopmental diagnosis at one year of age, including disorders of motor function, speech and language, and psychological development. In the group not exposed to the virus, 1.8% received said diagnosis.
After adjusting for factors such as race, insurance, maternal age, and preterm birth, Dr. Edlow’s group found that a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of developmental diagnoses. neurological at 12 months among children (odds ratio tight [OR]: 1.94; confidence interval [IC] from 95%: 1.12 to 3.17; p = 0.01), but not among girls.
In a subset of children with data available at 18 months, the correlation between children that age was less pronounced and not statistically significant (adjusted OR: 1.42 [IC 95%: 0,92 a 2,11]; p = 0,10).
The findings were published electronically on March 23 in JAMA Network Open.[1]
Previous epidemiological research has suggested that maternal infection during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring, including autism and schizophrenia, the authors wrote.
“The neurodevelopmental risk associated with maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection was disproportionately high in infant boys, consistent with the known increased vulnerability of males to adverse prenatal exposures,” Dr. Edlow said in a press release on the findings.[2]
Larger studies and longer follow-up are needed to confirm and reliably estimate the risk, the researchers stated.
“It is not clear that the changes we can detect at 12 and 18 months are indicative of persistent risks for disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or schizophrenia,” they wrote.
The new data published in electronic version by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) of the United States show that during 2020, in 11 communities, 1 in 36 (2.8%) 8-year-old children had been identified with autism spectrum disorder, an increase from 2.3% in 2018. Data also shows that the first few months of the pandemic may have disrupted autism screening efforts among 4-year-olds.
The researchers received grant support from the National Institutes of Health and the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. The co-authors reported having consulted or received personal fees from biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
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