Kids' Autism Linked to Mom's Fever, Flu During Pregnancy

Mom's immune system can affect child's brain

Women who had the flu while they were pregnant were twice as likely to have a child later diagnosed with autism, a new study reveals. And those who had a fever lasting a week or longer were three times as likely to have an autistic child. The study of 96,000 children in Denmark suggests that, in at least some cases, something going on with a pregnant women's immune system can affect the developing child’s brain. Some studies have pointed towards inflammation -- the mother’s immune response somehow affecting the brain of the developing fetus. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism spectrum disorder affects one in 88 children, and can refer to a range of symptoms, from the relatively mild social awkwardness of Asperger’s syndrome to profound mental retardation. (NBC News)

[SUBSCRIBE TO LOOP 21 RSS FEED]