Autism Res

Background:Previous studies have shown complications of pregnancy, often examined in aggregate, to be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Results for specific complications such as maternal diabetes and hypertension have not been uniformly consistent and should be investigated independently in relation to ASD in a large community-based sample.Methods:The Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), a U.S. multisite case-control study, enrolled children born in 2003\u20132006 at 2\u20135 years of age. Children were classified into three groups based on confirmation of ASD (n=698), non-ASD developmental delay (DD; n= 887), or controls drawn from the general population (POP; n=979). Diagnoses of any diabetes or hypertensive disorder during pregnancy were identified from prenatal medical records and maternal self-report. Logistic regression models estimated adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and confidence intervals (CI) adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, smoking during pregnancy, and study site. Models for hypertension were additionally adjusted for parity and plurality.Results:Among 2,564 mothers, we identified 246 (9.6%) with any diabetes and 386 (15.1%) with any hypertension in pregnancy. After adjustment for covariates, any diabetes during pregnancy was not associated with ASD (aOR=1.10 [95% CI 0.77, 1.56]), but any hypertension was associated with ASD (aOR=1.69 [95% CI 1.26, 2.26]). Results were similar for DD, and any diabetes (aOR=1.29 [95% CI 0.94 1.78]) or any hypertension (aOR=1.71 [95% CI 1.30, 2.25]).Conclusions:Some pregnancy complications, such as hypertension, may play a role in autism etiology and can possibly serve as a prompt for more vigilant ASD screening efforts.P30 ES010126/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United StatesU01 DD000498/DD/NCBDD CDC HHS/United StatesU10 DD000184/DD/NCBDD CDC HHS/United StatesU10 DD000180/DD/NCBDD CDC HHS/United StatesU01 DD001205/DD/NCBDD CDC HHS/United StatesU10 DD000183/DD/NCBDD CDC HHS/United StatesU10 DD000181/DD/NCBDD CDC HHS/United StatesMichigan State University/InternationalU01DD001205/ACL/ACL HHS/United StatesU10 DD000182/DD/NCBDD CDC HHS/United StatesT32 HD052468/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States2020-06-01T00:00:00Z30969030PMC65465227736vault:3515