Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Γενική και Εξειδικευμένη Παιδιατρική: Κλινική Πράξη και ΈρευναLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Author:
Angeli Stamatina-Eleftheria
Supervisors info:
Δέσποινα Μπριάνα, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Ευαγγελία Χαρμανδάρη, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Χρήστος Γιαννιός, Παιδίατρος - Αναπτυξιολόγος, Διευθυντής Αναπτυξιολογικού Τμήματος Ναυτικού Νοσοκομείου Αθηνών
Original Title:
Περιγεννητικοί παράγοντες κινδύνου και διαταραχές στο φάσμα του αυτισμού
Translated title:
General Pediatrics and Pediatric Subspecialities- Clinical Practice and Research
Summary:
Introduction: Autistic spectrum disorders (Autistic Spectrum Disorders-ASD) include
autism, Asperger syndrome (AS) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise
Specified (PDD- NOS). This review aimed to investigate the association between perinatal
factors and ASD development.
Methods/material: The review team used MEDLINE, ERIC and Google Scholar search
engines for the identification of studies focusing on the effect of perinatal factors on the
future development of autism. We have included studies from January 2010 to May 2022.
411 studies were found.
Results: Consistently reported risk factors are multiple deliveries, maternal nutrition and
smoking, advanced parental age, prematurity, lack of breastfeeding, as well as low and
excessive birth weight. There is controversy in the literature regarding the potential effect
of environmental pollution, heavy metals, maternal alcohol consumption, antibiotic use,
caesarean section, as well as assisted reproductive technologies on the future development
of autism. Population differences, methodology variations and possible effect of
confounding factors may have contributed to the heterogeneity of the results.
Conclusions: Research has demonstrated that specific perinatal factors may disturb the
normal development of the fetal brain and predispose to future development of ASD.
Prospective and long-term studies with consistent methodology in terms of exposure to the
environmental risk factor and diagnosis confirmation as well as with isolation of
confounding factors, will contribute to the identification of any causative associations.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorders, Characteristics, Classification, Risk Factors, Environment
Number of references:
303
