Autism Pregnancy: New Study Suggests Diabetes Prevalence Links to Autistic Disorder

A mother who develops diabetes during pregnancy could increase her child's chances of having autism, a new study suggests.

Pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes or uncontrolled blood sugar by the 26th week of their gestation period have more than 35 percent higher chance of having a child with autism compared to those who do not develop the condition, according to ABC News.

The study, which was published in the Journal of American Medical Association, suggests that the high blood sugar level from the mother could disrupt the infant's brain growth and development. This could likely affect the parts of the brain responsible for social behavior and communication, according to Dr. Edward Curry, co-author of the study and learning and behavior specialist for Kaiser Permanente.

"Autism is still rare," said Anny Xiang via Live Science, co-author of the study and scientist at Kaiser Permanente. The condition is uncommon but the study finds that there is a link between women who have the condition and children with autism.

The research was conducted by analyzing the records of more than 300,000 children born in Southern California between 1995 and 2009. Around two percent were born from mothers who had type 2 diabetes and approximately eight percent had moms who suffered from gestational diabetes. In more than 3,000 children diagnosed with autistic disorder or Asperger's syndrome, there were more than 120 children whose mothers had pregnancy-related diabetes.

However, there was no increased risk of having an autistic child in women who had type 2 diabetes prior to getting pregnant. Xiang said that this could be due to the fact that their regular medication could be controlling their blood levels, thereby posing no risk to their unborn child.

The relationship between children with autism and their mothers who had diabetes while pregnant still held together even after researchers factored out other components that could affect the chances of getting autism. The factors include gender of the child, number of children, mother's age, ethnicity, education, and income.

Autism is five times more prevalent in boys than in girls and it affects one in 68 US children, reports ABC News.

According to Pensacola News Journal, the study emphasizes the importance of getting the proper prenatal care for any condition developed during pregnancy. This also includes the maintenance of pre-existing conditions. The authors added that there is no cause for alarm among women who had pregnancy-related diabetes by 26 weeks - there are only around seven children who may develop the condition in every 1,000 mothers.

Further research will be conducted to find out whether the treatment of gestational diabetes can minimize the chances of autism in children.