Antidepressant use during pregnancy and childhood autism spectrum disorders
Lisa A Croen1, Judith K Grether, Cathleen K Yoshida
1Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA 94612, USA. lisa.a.croen@kp.org
Insights
Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may modestly increase autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk, particularly during the first trimester. This risk must be weighed against untreated maternal mental health conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Perinatal Psychiatry
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and antidepressant use in pregnancy raises concerns.
- Potential link between prenatal antidepressant exposure and increased ASD risk requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically evaluate the association between prenatal antidepressant medication exposure and the risk of ASD.
Main Methods:
- Population-based case-control study utilizing medical records.
- Involved 298 children with ASD and 1507 controls from Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
- Ascertained maternal antidepressant use, mental health history, and covariates.
Main Results:
- Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was associated with a 2-fold increased risk of ASD.
- The strongest association was observed with first-trimester SSRI exposure (OR, 3.8).
- No increased risk was found for mothers with mental health treatment history without prenatal SSRI exposure.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal SSRI exposure, especially in the first trimester, may modestly increase ASD risk.
- Balancing SSRI risks against untreated maternal mental health risks is crucial.
- Further research is needed to confirm and expand these findings.
Context:
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has increased over recent years. Use of antidepressant medications during pregnancy also shows a secular increase in recent decades, prompting concerns that prenatal exposure may contribute to increased risk of ASD.
Objective:
To systematically evaluate whether prenatal exposure to antidepressant medications is associated with increased risk of ASD.
Design:
Population-based case-control study. Medical records were used to ascertain case children and control children and to derive prospectively recorded information on mothers' use of antidepressant medications, mental health history of mothers, and demographic and medical covariates.
Setting:
The Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Northern California.
Participants:
A total of 298 case children with ASD (and their mothers) and 1507 randomly selected control children (and their mothers) drawn from the membership of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Northern California.
Main Outcome Measures:
ASDs.
Results:
Prenatal exposure to antidepressant medications was reported for 20 case children (6.7%) and 50 control children (3.3%). In adjusted logistic regression models, we found a 2-fold increased risk of ASD associated with treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors by the mother during the year before delivery (adjusted odds ratio, 2.2 [95% confidence interval, 1.2-4.3]), with the strongest effect associated with treatment during the first trimester (adjusted odds ratio, 3.8 [95% confidence interval, 1.8-7.8]). No increase in risk was found for mothers with a history of mental health treatment in the absence of prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Conclusion:
Although the number of children exposed prenatally to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in this population was low, results suggest that exposure, especially during the first trimester, may modestly increase the risk of ASD. The potential risk associated with exposure must be balanced with the risk to the mother or fetus of untreated mental health disorders. Further studies are needed to replicate and extend these findings.
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