Life Desk :
Autism is a developmental disorder that affects many children and is characterized by
Language acquisition
Behaviour repetitions
Impairment in social interaction
Studies conducted on autism reveal that
1 in 68 children in the U.S is found to be affected with autism.
1 in 38 children in India is affected with autism.
Boys are 4.5 times more likely to have autism than girls.
An autistic child requires patience and support through the growing years and there are many support groups and training programs that help a parent look after the autistic child. However, a new study has shown that inducing labor will not increase the risk for autism. ‘Risk of autism should not affect medical decision to induce labor.’
Doctors resort to inducing labor when labor does not start on its own and when waiting for natural labor could affect the health of the unborn child. The various methods of inducing labor are
Cervical ripening
Administration of oxytocin
Rupturing the membrane
Previous Study Shows Induction Of Labor Increases Risk Of Autism
An earlier study by Simon G. Gregory and published in JAMA in 2013 carried out a population-based study on 625,042 births in North Carolina and their subsequent school records to ascertain if they had autism.
The study found that
1.3% of male children had autism
0.4% of female children had autism
While the authors of the study concluded that the induction of labor drastically reduced stillbirth among women with high sugar levels or high blood pressure, there existed a risk factor that increased chances of autism.
The study gathered popularity as it hypothesized that eliminating induction of labor could remove 2 autism cases for every 1000 births.
The current study was carried out by Harvard Chan School researchers, Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, Indiana University and Harvard Medical University. They studied one million live births during the year 2013 and followed up the births by checking for the presence of neurological development disability.
The study found that
2% of study population were diagnosed with autism
11% of the deliveries were induced, with pregnancy complications that included
Gestational hypertension
Gestational diabetes
Pre-eclampsia
23% of the induced labor cases were post term
When the researchers studied induced labor and then followed up with assessing the development of the baby, they found an association between induced labor and risk of autism.
Sibling Study
Researchers studied the effect of induced labor on siblings, where one child was born after inducing labor while the other child wasn’t. There was no association identified. Dr Anna Sara Oberg who is the lead author of the study and a research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard Chan School cautions that “It is important to note that the findings pertain to the risks associated with labor induction per se, and not the specific method or medication used in the process, including oxytocin,”
Source: Medindia
Autism is a developmental disorder that affects many children and is characterized by
Language acquisition
Behaviour repetitions
Impairment in social interaction
Studies conducted on autism reveal that
1 in 68 children in the U.S is found to be affected with autism.
1 in 38 children in India is affected with autism.
Boys are 4.5 times more likely to have autism than girls.
An autistic child requires patience and support through the growing years and there are many support groups and training programs that help a parent look after the autistic child. However, a new study has shown that inducing labor will not increase the risk for autism. ‘Risk of autism should not affect medical decision to induce labor.’
Doctors resort to inducing labor when labor does not start on its own and when waiting for natural labor could affect the health of the unborn child. The various methods of inducing labor are
Cervical ripening
Administration of oxytocin
Rupturing the membrane
Previous Study Shows Induction Of Labor Increases Risk Of Autism
An earlier study by Simon G. Gregory and published in JAMA in 2013 carried out a population-based study on 625,042 births in North Carolina and their subsequent school records to ascertain if they had autism.
The study found that
1.3% of male children had autism
0.4% of female children had autism
While the authors of the study concluded that the induction of labor drastically reduced stillbirth among women with high sugar levels or high blood pressure, there existed a risk factor that increased chances of autism.
The study gathered popularity as it hypothesized that eliminating induction of labor could remove 2 autism cases for every 1000 births.
The current study was carried out by Harvard Chan School researchers, Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, Indiana University and Harvard Medical University. They studied one million live births during the year 2013 and followed up the births by checking for the presence of neurological development disability.
The study found that
2% of study population were diagnosed with autism
11% of the deliveries were induced, with pregnancy complications that included
Gestational hypertension
Gestational diabetes
Pre-eclampsia
23% of the induced labor cases were post term
When the researchers studied induced labor and then followed up with assessing the development of the baby, they found an association between induced labor and risk of autism.
Sibling Study
Researchers studied the effect of induced labor on siblings, where one child was born after inducing labor while the other child wasn’t. There was no association identified. Dr Anna Sara Oberg who is the lead author of the study and a research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard Chan School cautions that “It is important to note that the findings pertain to the risks associated with labor induction per se, and not the specific method or medication used in the process, including oxytocin,”
Source: Medindia
