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In utero exposure to coumarins and cognition at 8 to 14 years old

D van Driel1, J Wesseling, P J Sauer

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands. p.j.j.sauer@bkk.azg.nl

Pediatrics
|January 3, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal coumarin exposure did not affect overall cognitive abilities in children. However, some exposed boys showed lower reading and spelling performance, indicating potential risks for a minority.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Coumarin derivatives are used for anticoagulant therapy during pregnancy.
  • Concerns exist regarding potential fetal central nervous system anomalies from in utero coumarin exposure.
  • The long-term cognitive effects of prenatal coumarin exposure remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the cognitive abilities of school-aged children exposed to coumarins in utero.
  • To determine if prenatal coumarin exposure impacts later childhood cognitive functioning.

Main Methods:

  • Compared 291 children with in utero coumarin exposure to 253 age-matched controls.
  • Assessed cognitive abilities using the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and educational achievement tests.
  • Utilized teacher assessments for language and arithmetic performance, with observers blinded to exposure status.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in mean IQ between exposed and nonexposed children.
  • A higher prevalence of IQ scores below 80 was observed in the exposed group (OR=3.1).
  • Exposed boys demonstrated increased difficulties in reading (OR=2.9) and spelling (OR=2.5) compared to controls.

Conclusions:

  • Overall cognitive functioning is not adversely affected by in utero coumarin exposure.
  • A subset of children may be susceptible to negative cognitive impacts from prenatal coumarin exposure.
  • Specific learning difficulties, particularly in reading and spelling for boys, warrant further investigation.
Abstract

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