Children of mothers who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy have been found to have a higher risk of autism and other developmental disabilities and developmental delays.
Massachusetts General Hospital-Brigham researchers said these children were at high risk for language delays and motor difficulties. However, the link is unclear at this time and the findings do not prove that the virus causes this condition.
that New observational study A study of the health of more than 18,000 mothers and their children early in the pandemic found that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy was associated with a 29% higher risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders by age 3.
About 16% of the 861 children whose mothers were infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy were diagnosed with neurodevelopment, while only 9.7% of the 1,680 children whose mothers were not infected with COVID-19 were diagnosed with neurodevelopment.
The risk was also found to be higher in male babies than female babies, as well as in the third trimester of pregnancy. Previous research suggested Male fetus brain is more vulnerable to maternal immune response.
“These findings highlight that COVID-19, like many other infections during pregnancy, can pose a risk not only to the mother but also to the brain development of the fetus,” explained Dr. Andrea Edlow, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the health system. name.
“They also support the importance of efforts to prevent Covid-19 infection during pregnancy and are particularly relevant at a time when public trust in vaccines, including the Covid-19 vaccine, is eroding.”
Declining trust in vaccines
Confidence in vaccines has been declining in the United States over the past few years, according to a report, with perceptions of the safety of seasonal flu, measles, mumps, rubella and Covid vaccines also falling significantly. report From the Annenberg Center for Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Only 66% of those surveyed believed the benefits of the COVID-19 shot outweighed the risks. evidence This suggests that the Covid vaccine is more effective than the seasonal flu vaccine.
A study published earlier this month found that getting the vaccine extends the lifespan of some cancer patients.
Pregnant women who receive a Covid vaccine pass that protection on to their infants.
But pregnant patients with COVID-19 are at higher risk for poor outcomes, said Dr. Neil Silverman, a professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at UCLA. Last May, NPR.
“No matter what politics says, science is science. We know objectively that pregnant patients are at significantly higher risk of experiencing complications,” Silverman said.
Maternal Infections and Autism
Whether these comorbidities include autism is debatable.
Two recent studies by New York researchers found that babies in the pandemic era There was no increased risk of disability. And there it was There is no evidence that maternal illness during pregnancy causes autism. Instead, the researchers cited unique pandemic-related environmental factors that may cause stress and other changes.
Nonetheless, Covid is not the only viral infection associated with risk of various neurodevelopmental diseases in childhood.
The flu has been linked to the risk of autism and schizophrenia in children, and researchers have pinpointed an obvious reason. These are proteins called cytokines that regulate the immune system.
Cytokines can affect the placenta and even the fetus.
“There is no doubt in animal models that there is a link between maternal immune activation, changes in gene expression in the brain, changes in brain development, and long-lasting behavioral changes,” said Kim McAllister, director of the Center for Neuroscience at the University of California, Davis. NPR In 2023.
takeout
Whether cytokines are responsible for the increased fetal risk in COVID patients remains an open question.
What’s not in question is how bad last year’s flu season was. It was the worst flu season in the U.S. in 15 years.
Similar to the Covid vaccine. experts say The flu shot can help protect the health of you and your baby. However, breakthrough infections may occur. Usually less severe.
So how concerned should prospective parents be?
“The overall risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in exposed children is likely still low,” said Dr. Roy Perlis, Mass General Department of Psychiatry at the Brigham.
