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Published on: November 20, 2015
Prenatal, Perinatal and Neonatal Risk Factors for Intellectual Disability: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis
Jichong Huang1,2, Tingting Zhu1,2, Yi Qu1,2
1Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
Insights
This study identified numerous prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal risk factors for intellectual disability (ID). Key factors include maternal health conditions, lifestyle choices, and infant characteristics like low birth weight.
Area of Science:
- Medical Research
- Public Health
- Genetics
Background:
- The causes of non-genetic intellectual disability (ID) are not fully understood.
- Identifying risk factors is crucial for prevention and intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal risk factors associated with intellectual disability.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed and Embase databases.
- Included 17 studies with over 5.7 million participants.
- Analyzed 16 potential risk factors using random effects models.
Main Results:
- Identified 10 significant prenatal risk factors, including advanced maternal age, maternal race, low education, parity, alcohol/tobacco use, diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy, and asthma.
- Preterm birth was identified as a significant perinatal risk factor.
- Male sex and low birth weight were significant neonatal risk factors for ID.
Conclusions:
- This meta-analysis provides a comprehensive assessment of ID risk factors.
- Future research should explore perinatal/neonatal factors and the combined effects of multiple risk factors.
Background:
The etiology of non-genetic intellectual disability (ID) is not fully known, and we aimed to identify the prenatal, perinatal and neonatal risk factors for ID.
Method:
PubMed and Embase databases were searched for studies that examined the association between pre-, peri- and neonatal factors and ID risk (keywords "intellectual disability" or "mental retardation" or "ID" or "MR" in combination with "prenatal" or "pregnancy" or "obstetric" or "perinatal" or "neonatal". The last search was updated on September 15, 2015. Summary effect estimates (pooled odds ratios) were calculated for each risk factor using random effects models, with tests for heterogeneity and publication bias.
Results:
Seventeen studies with 55,344 patients and 5,723,749 control individuals were eligible for inclusion in our analysis, and 16 potential risk factors were analyzed. Ten prenatal factors (advanced maternal age, maternal black race, low maternal education, third or more parity, maternal alcohol use, maternal tobacco use, maternal diabetes, maternal hypertension, maternal epilepsy and maternal asthma), one perinatal factor (preterm birth) and two neonatal factors (male sex and low birth weight) were significantly associated with increased risk of ID.
Conclusion:
This systemic review and meta-analysis provides a comprehensive evidence-based assessment of the risk factors for ID. Future studies are encouraged to focus on perinatal and neonatal risk factors and the combined effects of multiple factors.
