Maternal Infection during Pregnancy and Attention-Deficit  Hyperactivity Disorder in Children: A Systematic Review and  Meta-Analysis

Erfan   Ayubi; Kamyar  Mansori

doi:10.18502/ijph.v51i12.11458

Erfan Ayubi Autism Spectrum Disorders Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
Kamyar Mansori Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v51i12.11458

Keywords: Maternal infection; Pregnancy; Disorder; Hyperactivity

Abstract

Background: We aimed to determine the association between maternal infections during pregnancy with risk of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed utilizing the online databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences up to July 2020. Random-effects meta-analyses were applied to estimate pooled relative risk (RR). Heterogeneity, study quality and publication bias were assessed through I² value, Newcastle–Ottawa scale (NOS) and Egger's test, respectively.

Results: Thirteen articles involving 1401904 mother-child pairs were included. The result of meta-analysis showed that the risk of ADHD increased by 30% among children whose mothers took any infections during pregnancy (pooled RR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.14-1.49; I²=85.5, P<0.001). Overall, the included studies were good in quality and no publication bias was found (P=0.23, Egger’s test).

Conclusion: Maternal infections during pregnancy might be associated with an increased risk of ADHD in children.