Obese Pregnant Women at Risk gives birth to the Son of Autism

Based on the research indicates that pregnant women who have impaired metabolic conditions such as obesity and diabetes risk of having a child with autism or neurodevelopmental disorders.

Recent research conducted by scientists affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute found that obese mothers are 67 percent greater risk of giving birth children with autism and two-fold risk of having children with other developmental disorders such as delayed speech or even fail to reach the stage of growth and development of appropriate of age.

While mothers with diabetes 2.3 times greater risk of having children with developmental disorders compared to healthy mothers. However, the proportion of mothers with diabetes who have a child with autism is higher than the healthy women, although statistically not significant.

The study also found that autistic children of mothers with diabetes are more likely to experience disability (lack of understanding of language and communication) - instead of an autistic child born to healthy mothers. However, children without autism who were born to mothers with diabetes are also prone mengami pendeerita disorders such as socialization, lack of language comprehension and production, when compared with children without autism from a healthy mother.

"More than a third of U.S. women of childbearing age are obese and almost one-tenth have type 2 or gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Our finding that the condition of the pregnancy may be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in children need attention and may have a serious impact on public health," said Paula Krakowiak, epidemiologist from UC Davis.

Researchers entitled "Maternal metabolic conditions and risk for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders," is published online in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Researchers claim that this is the first study to examine the relationship between neurodevelopmental disorders and metabolic conditions of pregnant women, and not limited to patients with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes, including obesity and hypertension diantarany.

Autism is characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication deficits and repetitive behaviors and is often accompanied with an intellectual disability.

In his research, studies involving 1004 pairs of mothers and children of all backgrounds enrolled in the Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and the Environment Study (CHARGE). Most of them live in Northern California. There are 517 children with autism; 172 with other developmental disorders, and 315 of which are normal.

The researchers obtained information on demographic and health of mother and children with CHARGE study Environmental Exposure Study Questinnaire. Women were considered diabetic if the state medical records show they have diabetes or by interviewing the participants. Similarly, to obtain information about the history of hypertension.

Meanwhile, to confirm the diagnosis of the development of children with autism using the Autism Diagnostic Interview investigator-Revised (ADIR) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedules (ADOS).

Among children whose mothers had diabetes during pregnancy, the study found that the percentage of autistic children born to mothers with gestational diabetes or type 2 diabetes as much as 9.3 percent, a developmental disability (11.6 percent), and more than 6.4 percent autistic children were born to mothers without metabolic conditions.

More than 20 percent of mothers give birth to children with autism to obesity or other developmental disabilities, while only 14 percent of mothers without children with autism develop obesity.

Approximately 29 percent of children with autism had mothers with impaired metabolic conditions, and nearly 35 percent of children with other developmental disorders have a mother with impaired metabolic conditions.

Analysis of cognitive abilities in children found that, among children with autism (children of mothers with diabetes) have a worse test results related to expressive, receptive language and communication skills than children of mothers without diabetes.

The peneli noted that obesity is a significant risk factor for diabetes and hypertension, and is characterized by an increase in insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, such as diabetes and hypertension.

According to researchers, people with diabetes in the mother and the possibility of pre-diabetic condition during pregnancy, glucose regulation becomes difficult to manage that increase insulin production in the fetus. Higher insulin production that makes the need for oxygen becomes greater, resulting in oxygen supply to the fetus is reduced. Diabetes also can lead to iron deficiency in the fetus.

"Both of these conditions can affect fetal brain development," explained the researchers.

Furthermore, researchers say, the inflammation that occurs during pregnancy, also can affect fetal development. Certain proteins that play a role in the relationship between cells that are produced by cells of the immune system can cross the placenta from mother to fetus and interfere with brain development.

source : kompas.com