Is meconium exposure associated with autism spectrum disorders in children?

• Main Authors: Ensiyeh Jenabi, Erfan Ayubi, Salman Khazaei, Saeid Bashirian, Mojtaba Khazaei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Korean Pediatric Society 2021-07-01
• Series: Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• Subjects: autism spectrum disorder; meconium; meta-analysis
• Online Access: http://www.e-cep.org/upload/pdf/cep-2020-01053.pdf

Background The results differ among published studies regarding exposure to meconium and the risk of developing autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Purpose The present study pooled all of the epidemiologic studies retrieved from broader databases on the association between meconium exposure and risk of developing ASD in children. Methods The Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched without language restrictions for articles published between their inception to February 20, 2020, using relevant keywords. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated as random-effect estimates of the associations among studies. A subgroup analysis was conducted to explore any potential sources of heterogeneity among studies. Results The pooled estimate of OR reported a weakly significant association between meconium exposure and ASD development in children (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03–1.24). There was low heterogeneity among the articles reporting risk for ASD among children (I2=19.3%; P=0.259). The results of subgroup analysis based on meconium exposure showed a significant association between a meconium-stained neonate and ASD development (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.11–1.24). Couclusion Meconium exposure was weakly associated with an increased risk of ASD. However, more evidence based on large prospective cohort studies is required to provide conclusive evidence about whether meconium exposure is associated with an increased risk of ASD development.