A comprehensive study by researchers from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Norwegian National Institute of Public Health identified molecular signals of gestational inflammation associated with a higher risk of developing autism. This research contributes to a better understanding of aberrant brain development and paves the way for autism screening at birth. This study’s findings were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
According to the findings of the current study, if the fetus is exposed to inflammation during pregnancy, the chances of autism increase. Researchers previously linked mother’s fever, influenza infection, or herpesvirus type 2 infection during pregnancy to an increased risk of autism.
Researchers looked at 60 molecular signals linked to the immune response. During pregnancy and after birth, blood samples were obtained from 957 infants. Half of these kids were later diagnosed with autism.
”We identified immune signals in the blood samples of mothers in the middle of pregnancy and in the cord blood of children who later suffered from autism,” said Mady Hornig, co-author of the study and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Centre.
What is autism?
Autism spectrum disorder is a brain development disorder that affects how a person perceives and interacts with others, leading to problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also involves restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour. The term spectrum refers to the wide variety of symptoms and severity associated with an autism spectrum disorder.
This is a disease that affects kids and is quite difficult to detect. Until a child is two or three years old, the symptoms of autism remain unknown. Only the conduct of children, their reactions and gestures may be used to diagnose this condition. If your child is quiet in comparison to other children or reacts slowly to everything, this could be a sign of autism.
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