Autism Spectrum Disorder its occurrence in Preterm Infants

Avani Dave, Jai Hind College

Preterm newborns’ survival rates have risen thanks to advances in neonatal intensive care. The danger of long-term neurodevelopmental morbidity in many preterm and extremely preterm babies is well established. Research suggests that even moderate to late-preterm babies are susceptible to such negative consequences. Prematurity and low birth weight have recently been identified as risk factors for the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) later in life. 

The general agreement is that ASD is caused by a complex etiology. The date of a child’s birth impacts their chance of getting autism. All children delivered prematurely are at increased risk, although the danger decreases as the infant gets closer to full term. Whether male or female and regardless of genetic or environmental risk factors, infants born early had a higher chance of developing autism.

A recent study by Crump., et al. titled “Preterm or Early Term Birth and Risk of Autism,” published in the current issue of Pediatrics, has made a significant addition to our understanding of the links between autism and prematurity. The investigation was conducted by utilizing data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register (which contains prenatal and birth information) and clinical diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from the hospital, outpatient, and primary care registries. 

The course of the study: 

The Swedish Medical Birth Register included information on almost 4 million individuals born in Sweden between 1973 and 2013. Researchers looked at records from 2005 to 2015 to see if the people had been diagnosed with autism, then compared that information to their gestational age at birth. They also looked at the data to see if there were any siblings to see whether genetics played a factor.

ASD diagnosis methods were utilized in 18 investigations including 3366 preterm babies. At the time of the evaluation, the median gestational age, birth weight, and age were 28.0 weeks (range: 25.1–31.3 weeks), 1055 g (range: 719–1565 g), and 5.7 years (range: 1.5–21 years) respectively. According to a meta-analysis, the total prevalence rate for ASD was 7%. (95 % confidence interval: 4% to 9%. 

Further analysis delineated that the developmental abnormality afflicted 

• 2.6% of kids born between 28 and 33 weeks, 
• 1.9 % of kids born between 34 and 36 weeks, 
• 1.6% of kids born between 37 and 38 weeks, and 
• 1.4% of kids born between 39 and 41 weeks (who were deemed full-term).

The future prospects of the study:

According to the researchers, these findings imply that preterm and early term delivery should be regarded as separate risk factors for ASD. They also advocated for early evaluation and long-term follow-up for infants born prematurely, particularly those born at the earliest stages, in order to guarantee that children with autism are recognized and treated. The subsequent results add to the growing body of evidence that gestational age at birth should be regularly included in history and medical records for patients of all ages to aid in the identification of individuals born preterm or early term in clinical practice. 

The researchers noted in their findings that such information might give extra useful context for evaluating patients’ health and may allow early screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders in individuals born preterm. That being said, more research in this avenue is needed for a complete comprehension of the underlying mechanism.

Also read: White-tailed deer in Michigan found to contain Covid antibodies!

References: 

• McGowan, E. C., & Sheinkopf, S. J. (2021). Autism and preterm birth: Clarifying risk and exploring mechanisms. Pediatrics, e2021051978. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-051978
• Agrawal, S., Rao, S. C., Bulsara, M. K., & Patole, S. K. (2018). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in preterm infants: A meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 142(3), e20180134. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-0134
• Autism risk significantly higher for kids born premature, study finds. (2021). Disability Scoop. https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2021/08/11/autism-risk-significantly-higher-for-kids-born-premature-study-finds/29441/

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Author’s Info: Avani Dave is currently in the final year of her bachelor’s degree, majoring in Life Sciences. Holding a good academic and extra-curricular record, she is on a constant journey of acquiring exposure in her field of interest while simultaneously not limiting herself to just that. Avani likes studying Diseases and Syndromes and everything under this umbrella! That being said, she is adept at working across departments and promises to deliver.