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Maternal Asthma and Allergies versus Autoimmune Conditions 

May up the Risk of Autism


 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 07 - Women with asthma and/or allergies around
the time of pregnancy appear to be at increased risk for having a child
affected by autism, researchers from California report in the February
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Dr. Lisa A. Croen from Kaiser Permanente in Oakland and colleagues looked
for ties between the presence of asthma, allergies, and 44 maternal
autoimmune disorders in the 4 years surrounding pregnancy and subsequent
diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder in the children. The study included
407 children with and 2095 without a diagnosis of autism.
Asthma and allergies were significantly more common among mothers with than
without an autistic child. Women with asthma and allergies recorded during
the second trimester had a greater than 2-fold elevated risk of having a
child affected by autism, they report.
The authors believe this is the first demonstration of an association
between autism and maternal asthma and allergic disease.
They did not find an overall association between autism risk and maternal
autoimmune diseases, which contrasts with prior reports that have suggested
that such an association may exist. (See Reuters Health report June 29,
1999; Exogenous factors and immune disorders may combine to cause autism.)
According to the team, a similar number of women with and without an
autistic child had a diagnosis of any autoimmune disease in the 4 years
surrounding pregnancy (10.3% vs 8.2%; p = 0.15).
Among 44 specific autoimmune disorders, only psoriasis occurred
significantly more often among mothers of children with autism compared with
mothers of children without autism. The adjusted odds ratio was 2.7.
The authors conclude, based on this study, that maternal autoimmune
disorders "are unlikely to contribute significantly to autism risk."
They write that "further etiologic investigations are needed to confirm
these results and should include objective documentation of diagnoses and
consider a larger set of maternal immune-related conditions, including
asthma and allergies."
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005;159:151-157.

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