Key findings of the study published in the latest edition of The Lancet (Online first) suggests that children of mothers with diabetes during pregnancy are 28% more likely to have a neurodevelopmental disorder. Risks are higher for autism (25% more likely), ADHD (30% more likely), and intellectual disabilities (32% more likely).
The likelihood of other issues like communication problems (20% higher), movement problems (17% higher), and learning disorders (16% higher) are also increased in these children. The diabetes that existed before pregnancy (pre-gestational diabetes) posed a 39% higher risk of these problems compared to gestational diabetes (which develops during pregnancy but often goes away afterward).
The study, conducted by researchers at Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, China, also found that diabetes affects around 9% of pregnancies in the US, and this number is rising. Some earlier studies compared affected children with their siblings and didn’t find a clear effect from the mother’s diabetes, suggesting that genetics or family factors might also play a role in the increased risk.
