Daijiworld Media Network – Beijing

Beijing, Apr 8: A large-scale global study has confirmed a strong link between maternal diabetes and the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD in children.

Published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology on Tuesday, the study reviewed data from over 56 million pregnancies. Researchers from Central South University in China analyzed 202 studies involving 56,082,462 mother-child pairs through a comprehensive meta-analysis.

The findings revealed that children born to mothers with diabetes either pre-gestational or gestational — faced higher risks of autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability, and other developmental issues. Lower intelligence and reduced psychomotor scores were also observed.

“Maternal diabetes is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders and impaired neurodevelopmental performance in children,” the researchers said.

The study comes amid rising global concern, as the prevalence of maternal diabetes has significantly increased in recent decades. Pre-gestational diabetes now affects 2.4 per cent of pregnancies, while gestational diabetes impacts nearly 27.6 per cent worldwide.

Experts attribute the surge to obesity and metabolic syndrome a combination of conditions including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels.

Besides known complications such as caesarean delivery, neonatal jaundice, and macrosomia, maternal diabetes is also believed to influence fetal brain development.

Notably, the study found that pre-gestational diabetes was more strongly linked to neurodevelopmental risks than gestational diabetes.

The researchers emphasized the need for early interventions for women at risk and consistent monitoring of children with in-utero exposure to maternal diabetes, underlining the importance of awareness and preventive healthcare.