Prenatal maternal inflammation tied to ADHD diagnosis by age 10

A recent study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity has concluded that Prenatal maternal inflammation, assessed by hs-CRP, is linked to ADHD by age 10. Maternal inflammation associated with ADHD symptom load in the full cohort. This study identified inflammation as a marker crucial for future prevention during pregnancy to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in children.

This study followed 700 mothers and their children since pregnancy week 24. The mother's hs-CRP level at week 24 was investigated about the child's neurodevelopment at age 10. The children underwent a neurodevelopment exam using K-SADS-PL and ADHD-RS. Logistic and linear regression models were used with confounder adjustment, including socioeconomic status and maternal polygenic risk of ADHD.

Key findings from the study are:

• Total 604/ 700 children in the COPSAC2010 cohort participated in the COPSYCH visit at age 10.
• Sixty-five (16 girls and 49 boys), constituting 10.8 %, fulfilled a research diagnosis of ADHD.
• Higher maternal hs-CRP level in pregnancy at week 24 was associated with increased risk for ADHD diagnosis with adjusted OR 1.40.
• Higher maternal hs-CRP was associated with increased ADHD symptom load in the entire cohort, reflected by ADHD-RS raw scores.

Discussing further, they said the clinical data demonstrates a robust association of prenatal maternal inflammation assessed by hs-CRP with ADHD diagnosis by age 10.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is the most frequent neurodevelopmental disorder in childhood and adolescence, with an estimated worldwide prevalence of around 5–7 %. To our knowledge, this is the first study combining deep phenotyping with lege artis clinical evaluations to confirm associations between exposure to prenatal inflammation and subsequent risk of ADHD in the offspring in mid-childhood. Furthermore, we report positive associations between maternal inflammation and a load of ADHD symptoms in the entire cohort, they said.

Reference:

Rosenberg, J. B. et al. Maternal inflammation during pregnancy is associated with the risk of ADHD in children at age 10. Brain Behavior and Immunity, 115, 450–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2023.10.023