Maternal Vitamin D deficiency associated with Autism in offsprings: Study

Findings from previous studies on maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring are inconsistent.

The association between maternal 25(OH)D levels during pregnancy and offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was examined using data from a nationwide population-based register with a nested case-control study design. The Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) cases (n = 1558) were born between 1987 and 2004 and received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by 2015; cases were matched with an equal number of controls. Maternal 25(OH)D levels during pregnancy were measured using quantitative immunoassay from maternal sera collected during the first and early second trimesters and archived in the national biobank of the Finnish Maternity Cohort. Conditional logistic regression examined the association between maternal 25(OH)D levels and offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The results of the study are as follows:

· In the adjusted model, there was a significant association between increasing log-transformed maternal 25(OH)D levels and decreasing risk of offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

· Analyses by quintiles of maternal 25(OH)D levels revealed increased odds for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the 2 lowest quintiles, <20 and 20–39, compared with the highest quintile.

· The increased risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was observed in association with deficient and insufficient maternal 25(OH)D levels compared with sufficient levels.

Thus, the researchers concluded that this finding has implications for understanding the role of maternal vitamin D during fetal brain development and increased risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Reference:

Maternal Vitamin D Levels During Pregnancy and Offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder by Sourander A et. al published in the Biological Psychiatry.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.07.012