Study Finds Jaundice in Full Term Newborns is Associated with Autism
A study that followed all Danish children born over a 10-year period found that exposure to jaundice as a newborn was associated with an increased risk of a psychological development disorder, including autism.
The study, "Neonatal Jaundice, Autism, and Other Disorders of Psychological Development," published in the November 2010 print issue of Pediatrics (published online Oct. 11), found full-term infants born between 1994 and 2004 who had jaundice were 67 percent more likely to develop autism. Neonatal jaundice - usually a result of elevated bilirubin production - is seen in 60 percent of term infants. For most infants, it resolves within the first week of life, but prolonged exposure to high bilirubin levels is neurotoxic and can cause lifelong developmental problems.
In this study, authors found the risk of autism was higher if the mother had had previous children, or if the child was born between October and March. The risk for autism disappeared if the child was a firstborn child or was born between April and September.
Authors suggest the seasonal difference may be due to different levels of exposure to daylight, which has an effect on jaundice, or due to infections. The difference in risk in firstborn versus subsequent children could be due to different levels of antibodies in women who have had multiple pregnancies, or it could reflect different levels of access to health care in the first days after delivery.
In Denmark, women with healthy term newborns who have already had children are discharged soon after delivery. Women having their first child remain in the hospital for three to four days, and so jaundice may be diagnosed while the infant is still in the hospital.
The study, "Neonatal Jaundice, Autism, and Other Disorders of Psychological Development," published in the November 2010 print issue of Pediatrics (published online Oct. 11), found full-term infants born between 1994 and 2004 who had jaundice were 67 percent more likely to develop autism. Neonatal jaundice - usually a result of elevated bilirubin production - is seen in 60 percent of term infants. For most infants, it resolves within the first week of life, but prolonged exposure to high bilirubin levels is neurotoxic and can cause lifelong developmental problems.
In this study, authors found the risk of autism was higher if the mother had had previous children, or if the child was born between October and March. The risk for autism disappeared if the child was a firstborn child or was born between April and September.
Authors suggest the seasonal difference may be due to different levels of exposure to daylight, which has an effect on jaundice, or due to infections. The difference in risk in firstborn versus subsequent children could be due to different levels of antibodies in women who have had multiple pregnancies, or it could reflect different levels of access to health care in the first days after delivery.
In Denmark, women with healthy term newborns who have already had children are discharged soon after delivery. Women having their first child remain in the hospital for three to four days, and so jaundice may be diagnosed while the infant is still in the hospital.
- Published
- 10/11/2010 12:00 AM
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