Association between maternal asthma and ASD/ADHD in offspring: A meta-analysis based on observational studies.

This study looked at whether mothers with asthma are more likely to have children with autism or ADHD. Researchers combined results from 12 previous studies and found that children of mothers with asthma had about 36% higher odds of autism and 43% higher odds of ADHD. The autism link was only seen in boys, not girls, while the ADHD link affected both boys and girls. This suggests maternal asthma might be one factor that contributes to these conditions.

This meta-analysis examined the relationship between maternal asthma and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children, analyzing 12 studies (5 cohort, 7 case-control). Results showed significantly higher rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD in children whose mothers had asthma before childbirth. For ASD, the odds ratio was 1.36 (95% CI: 1.28-1.44), while for ADHD it was 1.43 (95% CI: 1.37-1.51). Subgroup analysis revealed sex differences: the ASD association was significant only in males (OR 1.28), not females.

For ADHD, associations were significant in both sexes, with slightly higher odds in females (OR 1.45) than males (OR 1.36). This suggests maternal asthma may be a potential risk factor for these neurodevelopmental conditions.

Healthcare providers should consider maternal asthma history when assessing neurodevelopmental risk in children. Enhanced screening protocols for ASD and ADHD may be warranted for children of mothers with asthma, with particular attention to sex differences in ASD risk patterns.

The abstract does not report total sample sizes across included studies or discuss potential confounding factors. The mechanism underlying the association is not explored, and the quality assessment of included studies is not mentioned.

This meta-analysis aims to examine the association between maternal asthma and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from electronic database inception to October 2024 for studies on the relationship between asthma and ASD/ADHD. The definition of maternal asthma was "asthma existing prior to childbirth". The primary outcome was the incidence of ASD/ADHD in the offspring.

This meta-analysis incorporated 5 cohort studies and 7 case-control studies. The statistical results suggested that there is a higher incidence of ASD (odds ratio (OR) = 1.36, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.28-1.44, P < 0.001) and ADHD (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.37-1.51, P < 0.001) in offspring with maternal asthma compared to the control group. The subgroup analysis revealed that there was no difference in ASD incidence between maternal asthma group and control group in subgroup of female (OR = 1.81, 95%CI = 0.72-4.25, P = 0.205). However, in subgroup of male, the incidence of ASD was higher in the maternal asthma group than the control group (OR = 1.28, 95%CI = 1.01-1.61, P = 0.04).

Furthermore, an elevated incidence of ADHD was observed in the maternal asthma group compared to the control group, both in male offspring (OR = 1.36, 95%CI = 1.30-1.42, P < 0.001) and female offspring (OR = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.38-1.53, P < 0.001) subgroups. This study indicates that maternal asthma may have a potential association with ASD and ADHD in the offspring.