Study suggests prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids may increase risk for some mental disorders in offspring

Prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids is associated with some mental disorders in offspring, such as mood, anxiety, and stress-related disorders, according to a study published online Jan. 3 in JAMA Network Open.

Kristina Laugesen, Ph.D., from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues examined the association between prenatal exposure to systemic glucocorticoids and mental disorders in offspring at age 15 years in a nationwide, population-based cohort study.

The final cohort included 1,061,548 infants: 31,518 born to mothers at risk of preterm delivery and 288,747 born to mothers with autoimmune or inflammatory disorders.

The researchers found that among offspring born to mothers at risk for preterm delivery, the adjusted risks for exposed versus unexposed were 6.6 versus 4.3 percent for autism spectrum disorders; 1.6 versus 1.3 percent for intellectual disabilities; 5.8 versus 4.3 percent for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; and 7.2 versus 4.6 percent for mood, anxiety, and stress-related disorders.

Among offspring born to mothers with autoimmune or inflammatory disorders, the corresponding adjusted risks for exposed versus unexposed were 4.8 versus 3.8 percent; 1.1 versus 0.8 percent; 5.5 versus 4.4 percent; and 6.6 versus 4.6 percent, respectively. Through an active comparator and sibling design, these findings were confirmed.

“Our findings should be balanced against the risks of leaving pregnant people untreated and viewed in light of low to moderate absolute risk differences,” the authors write.

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