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

Authors

  • 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.

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Published

2022-12-26

Issue

Volume (51) issue (12)

Section

Articles