Long-term Motor and Cognitive Function in the Children of Women With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Sonia Friedman1,2, Jan Nielsen2, Line Riis Jølving2
1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endoscopy, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Insights
Children exposed to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in utero showed similar neurodevelopmental outcomes compared to unexposed children. These findings are reassuring for parents with IBD regarding their child's development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Background:
- Long-term outcomes for children exposed to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in utero are not well-documented.
- Maternal inflammation, IBD medications, and other factors may pose risks to fetal development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the cognitive and motor development of children born to mothers with and without IBD.
- To investigate the impact of in utero IBD exposure on neurodevelopmental trajectories.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Danish National Birth Cohort (100,419 pregnancies) and Danish National Registries.
- Assessed child development at 6 months, 18 months, and 7 years via interviews and validated parent questionnaires.
- Adjusted for confounders, including preterm birth.
Main Results:
- At 18 months, exposed children were less likely to use word-like sounds, but sentence development was similar.
- No significant differences in language or motor development were observed at 6 and 18 months.
- At 7 years, cognitive scores and motor development were comparable between exposed and unexposed children.
Conclusions:
- Children exposed to IBD in utero demonstrated similar neurodevelopmental outcomes to unexposed children.
- Survey-based assessments over 7 years indicate reassuring developmental trajectories for offspring of mothers with IBD.
Introduction:
Research on long-term outcomes of children exposed to inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] in utero is lacking. Maternal inflammation, IBD medications, or other factors may increase the risk of developmental disabilities in the offspring.
Methods:
We used the Danish National Birth Cohort, an ongoing prospective study that includes 100 419 pregnancies of 92 274 women, in conjunction with the Danish National Registries, to evaluate cognitive and motor development of the children of women with and without IBD. We analysed basic measures of childhood development at 6-month and 18-month interviews with the mother and with validated questionnaires filled out by the parents when the child was 7 years old. We adjusted for multiple confounders, including preterm birth.
Results:
At 6 months, we included 484 children of women with IBD and 69 571 unexposed children; at 18 months, 471 exposed and 66 018 unexposed; at 7 years, 391 exposed and 54 356 unexposed. At 18 months, exposed children were significantly less likely to 'use word-like sounds' but there was no difference between use of 'sentences of 2 words'. At 6 and 18 months, there were no other obvious differences in language and motor development. At 7 years, cognitive scores [emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, peer, and social scores] and motor development [gross/fine motor skills and general coordination] were similar between the two groups.
Conclusions:
Children exposed to IBD in utero and unexposed children scored similarly on survey-based tools assessing basic measures of neurodevelopment over 7 years. These results are reassuring for current and future parents with IBD.
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