About 15% of US children 3 to 17 years old are living with neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD, autism and intellectual disabilities.
A new study out of China suggests that children born to mothers who experience a common ailment during pregnancy are 28% more likely to be diagnosed with these conditions.
A hidden risk
For the analysis, researchers pooled data from 202 studies across 56 million pregnancies worldwide. They looked at outcomes for children whose mothers had Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes during pregnancy, as well as moms diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
The team found that maternal diabetes increased the risk of all types of neurodevelopmental disorders, with autism rising by 25%, ADHD by 30% and intellectual disability by 32%.
Additionally, children born to mothers with diabetes were 20% more likely to struggle with communication, 17% more likely to experience movement issues and 16% more likely to develop learning disorders compared to their peers.
Interestingly, the highest-risk children were those born to mothers with pre-existing diabetes.
These children had a 39% higher likelihood of developing one or more of these disorders compared to those whose mothers had gestational diabetes, which develops during pregnancy and usually resolves after birth.
The risk was also higher for children whose mothers had gestational diabetes for a longer period or who required medication to manage it. The findings were published this month in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal.
Looking ahead
The analysis doesn’t prove that maternal diabetes directly causes neurodevelopmental issues in children, but experts say the results are important and warrant further exploration.
“Neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and ADHD, have previously been observed at higher rates in children with Type 1 diabetes, who themselves have elevated blood sugar,” Dr. Jonathan Faro, a maternal and fetal medicine specialist, told Medical News Today.
He said the study linking maternal diabetes to neurodevelopmental disorders raises key questions about whether high blood sugar during pregnancy affects fetal brain development, potentially acting as an agent that causes birth defects or developmental issues.
The study’s authors called for more research to confirm the link between high blood sugar and neurodevelopmental issues and understand the underlying causes.
They also recommended exploring potential protective factors and interventions to safeguard developing brains from the possible negative effects of maternal diabetes.
Sugar shock
The findings come as diabetes rates rise in the US, driven in part by an aging population and expanding waistlines.
Just look at the numbers: the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among American adults increased from 9.7% in 1999-2000 to 14.3% in 2021-2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In total, a staggering 38 million people across all ages had diabetes in 2022, including 8.7 million adults who were unaware they had it.
On top of that, more than 1 in 3 American adults are prediabetic, meaning their blood sugar levels are elevated but not yet at diabetic levels.
Gestational diabetes is on the rise, with diagnoses among young US women increasing by 30% over the past decade, according to a study by Northwestern Medicine.
Any pregnant woman can develop gestational diabetes, but the Cleveland Clinic notes that the risk is higher for women who are overweight or obese, physically inactive or over the age of 35.
A family history of diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome and certain ethnic backgrounds can also increase the risk.
Experts told the New York Times that the study highlights the need for comprehensive screening of women in their 20s and 30s so they can receive treatment before they conceive.
While the findings may be concerning, “the reality of diabetes care in pregnancy is we have treatments that work,” Dr. Kartik Venkatesh, director of the Diabetes in Pregnancy Program at Ohio State University, reassured The Times. He was not involved in the study.
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