Research tips to detect the risk of autism in pregnant women

Washington DC: A recent study indicates that if a woman has ever had a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the risk of having a second child with ASD is higher than in general. In a number of recent studies, researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have made tremendous progress in the prediction and diagnosis of ASD. Estimates indicate that if a mother has ever had a child with ASD, the risk of having a second child with ASD is about 18.7%, while the risk of ASD in the general population is about 1.7%.

"However," said Hahn, a researcher, "it would be highly desirable that a prediction based on physiological measurements could be made to determine which risk group a future mother would belong to". The researchers worked on the development of a physiological test to predict the risk of autism, which puts more emphasis on Alzheimer's disease and neurodegenerative diseases.

In this study, folate-dependent metabolites of folate-dependent transmethylation and transsulfuration pathways in pregnant women were measured to determine whether their metabolic profile could predict or predict the risk of having an autistic child. Pregnant women who had an autistic child before were divided into two groups based on their child's diagnosis, whether autistic or not. Then, these mothers were compared to a group of control mothers who had never had autism before.

The researchers concluded that it was not possible to determine during pregnancy whether a child was diagnosed with ASD at age 3, but that differences in plasma metabolites were indicative of relative risk (18.7%). vs 1.7%). to have a child with ASD.

"These are exciting results because they suggest differences in some metabolic processes that could play a role in increasing the risk of having a child with ASD," Hahn said.

This new research follows a previous study that developed an algorithm based on the levels of metabolites found in a blood sample that accurately predict whether a child has autism spectrum.

A follow-up study in the spring was also very promising to determine if a child has autism spectrum. The results were published in the Journal of Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders.