The association between preeclampsia and autism spectrum disorders among children: a meta-analysis

• Main Authors: Ensiyeh Jenabi, Manoochehr Karami, Salman Khazaei, Saeid Bashirian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Pediatric Society 2019-04-01
• Series: Korean Journal of Pediatrics
• Subjects: Autism spectrum disorder; Autism; Preeclampsia; Pregnancy
• Online Access: http://kjp.or.kr/upload/pdf/kjp-2018-07010.pdf

Purpose This meta-analysis pooled relevant case-control and cohort studies to evaluate the association between preeclampsia and the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in children. Methods The search for relevant studies in major databases was performed, which included Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus up to May 2018. The odds ratios (ORs) or rate ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted from eligible studies to determine the association among the studies. Results The pooled estimates of ORs and RRs indicated a significant association between preeclampsia and ASD (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.12–1.60) and (RR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.20–1.41). Conclusions Despite existing controversy, our findings indicated that preeclampsia was associated with an increased risk of ASD among children.