The Effect of Neonatal Sepsis on Risk of Autism Diagnosis.

This study looked at nearly 470,000 children to see if serious infections in newborns (called neonatal sepsis) are linked to autism. They found that babies who had sepsis were about 67% more likely to be diagnosed with autism later. This was true for babies born early or on time, and for both boys and girls, though the effect might be stronger in girls.

This retrospective cohort study examined 469,789 mother-child dyads from Kaiser Permanente Southern California to investigate the association between neonatal sepsis and autism risk. Children with neonatal sepsis showed significantly higher autism rates compared to unexposed children (3.43 vs 1.73 per 1,000 person-years, adjusted hazard ratio: 1.67). The association was significant for both preterm and term births, with similar risk increases. The effect was observed across most racial/ethnic groups except Asian/Pacific Islanders, and appeared stronger in girls than boys.

This large-scale study provides evidence that neonatal sepsis may be an early risk factor for autism diagnosis.

Healthcare providers should consider enhanced developmental monitoring for children with neonatal sepsis history. Early identification may facilitate timely intervention. Findings support investigating inflammatory pathways in autism etiology.

Single health system limits generalizability. Retrospective design prevents causal conclusions. Potential confounding from unmeasured factors. Unclear sepsis severity or treatment details. Follow-up duration not specified.

The study aimed to examine the association between neonatal sepsis and autism risk among children and whether the risk varied with the timing of exposure, child's sex, and race/ethnicity. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records (EHR) extracted from Kaiser Permanente Southern California Health Care System. Mother-child dyads were constructed by linking records of children born to member mothers and continuing to receive care through the system during the follow-up period with those of their biological mothers ( = 469,789). Clinical health records were used to define neonatal sepsis.

Diagnosis of autism was made by medical specialists. Potential confounders included maternal sociodemographic factors, obstetrical history, child's age, sex, race/ethnicity, and maternal and child medical history. Incident rates and adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were used to estimate the associations. Compared with children without the diagnosis of autism, children with the condition were more likely to be from Asian/Pacific Islander descent and male sex.

Exposed children showed higher rates of autism as compared with unexposed children (3.43 vs. 1.73 per 1,000 person-years, aHR: 1.67-95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39-2.00). Both preterm (aHR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.09-1.98) and term (aHR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.29-2.06) births were associated with increased risk for autism. Although the magnitude of the HRs and incidence ratios for neonatal sepsis to increase autism risk varied between race ethnicities, neonatal sepsis was associated with significantly increased likelihood of autism diagnosis for all race-ethic groups except for Asian/Pacific Islanders. Although neonatal sepsis was associated with significantly increased autism risk for both boys and girls, incident rates and HR point estimates suggested that the effect may be stronger in girls.

Neonatal sepsis is associated with increased risk of autism diagnosis in preterm- and term-born children. The association was significant for both girls and boys and all race ethnicities except for Asian-Pacific Islanders. · Neonatal sepsis is associated with increased risk of autism diagnosis.. · The association was significant in preterm- and term-born children.. · The association was significant for all race/ethnicities except for Asian-Pacific Islanders..