Exposure to maternal HTN may up risk of ASD, ADHD in child

(HealthDay)—Exposure to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) may be associated with an increase in the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring, according to a review published online June 6 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Gillian M. Maher, M.P.H., from University College Cork in Ireland, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to assess the association between HDP and neurodevelopmental outcome in offspring. The authors included 61 cohort and case-control studies in their analysis.

The researchers found that 11 of 20 studies that reported estimates for ASD (777,518 participants) found higher odds with HDP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.35) in pooled analysis. For the six studies reporting adjusted estimates of ADHD (1,395,605 participants), the pooled adjusted OR was 1.29. There were no statistically significant differences for ASD or ADHD in subgroup analyses according to type of exposure (i.e., preeclampsia or other HDP).

"These findings highlight the need for greater pediatric surveillance of infants exposed to HDP to allow early intervention that may improve neurodevelopmental outcome," the authors write.

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