Anti-inflammatory drugs taken by millions of pregnant women around the world may increase the risk of autism in their children.
The study identified the reason that increases the chances of such a diagnosis PHOTO Shutterstock
One study looked at the impact on children who are exposed during pregnancy to glucocorticoids – a class of steroids. Those prenatally exposed to the drugs were 30% to 50% more likely to be diagnosed with autism compared to children whose mothers did not take such steroid drugs, according to dailymail.com.
The study also linked glucocorticoids — which include prednisone and cortisone — to a higher risk of intellectual disability, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and anxiety.
Glucocorticoids mimic the hormone cortisol, which is produced by the adrenal gland and known for its anti-inflammatory effect. They are prescribed to pregnant women at risk of premature birth, as they also help the development and maturation of the fetal organs.
The drugs are also given to pregnant women with autoimmune or inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and asthma, because they reduce the immune response.
However, the new study suggests that if babies are exposed to excess amounts of glucocorticoids, it can alter their brain development in a negative way. It is estimated that two to three percent of the population are currently prescribed glucocorticoids.
And in the US, the most common glucocorticoid drugs are prednisone, triamcinolone acetonide, and methylprednisolone. The steroids betamethasone and dexamethasone, which cross the placenta, are used in people at risk of premature birth and both are usually injected into the mother’s arm, leg or buttocks.
Some side effects of prolonged glucocorticoid use have been known for decades, the most common being weight gain and the joint disease osteoporosis. But the latest study from Denmark suggests the drugs could also harm babies’ developing brains.
The researchers analyzed the development of more than 1 million children born between 1996 and 2016. Of the 1.1 million children, more than 300,000 were exposed to glucocorticoids in the womb. Some of the women in the study were given steroids to prevent premature birth, while the vast majority of mothers were given the drug to treat autoimmune or inflammatory conditions.
The researchers revisited the children 15 years later and checked their medical histories to see how exposure to glucocorticoids had affected them. Children of mothers at risk of preterm birth who took glucocorticoids were 50% more likely to be diagnosed with autism than those whose mothers were not exposed to the drugs. The risk of intellectual disability and ADHD was 30% higher in the group of exposed children.
And mood disorders, anxiety and stress were 50% higher.
For children of mothers with autoimmune or inflammatory disorders, the risk of autism and ADHD was 30% higher in the exposed group, while mood problems and intellectual disabilities were 40% higher.
The researchers say their data support “continued caution” in the use of glucocorticoids in pregnant women.
Pregnant women with autoimmune or inflammatory conditions say that alternative medicines “may be safer and reduce glucocorticoid use, but evidence is lacking and more research is needed“.
