The Independent

Taking antidepres­sants during pregnancy raises autism risk, study claims

- STEVE CONNOR SCIENCE EDITOR

Taking antidepres­sants during pregnancy could almost double the risk of a child being diagnosed with autism in the first years of life, a major study of nearly 150,000 pregnancie­s has suggested.

Researcher­s have found a link between women in the later stages of pregnancy who were prescribed one of the most common types of antidepres­sant drugs, and autism diagnosed in children under seven years of age.

A survey of medical records in the Canadian province of Québec found women given selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Zoloft, between the fourth and ninth month of pregnancy were 87 per cent more likely to have a child with autism compared with mothers not on antidepres­sants.

Although the associatio­n was statistica­lly significan­t, the studywas not able to prove that the drugs taken during pregnancy were the cause of the children’s autism. However, the researcher­s tried to eliminate other possible reasons such as genetics, maternal age and poverty.

Other experts warned that the findings were still preliminar­y and could cause alarm given that up to one in 10 pregnant women suffer depression and many are prescribed because they have fewer side-effects.

Scientists not involved in the study said there might be other compoundin­g factors and urged pregnant women prescribed antidepres­sants not to stop their medication.

“It is possible that the higher risk of autism spectrum disorder is due to the medication, but it may also be due to the effects of the mood disorder for which the medication has been prescribed,” said Professor Ian Jones, director of the National Centre for Mental Health at Cardiff University.

“There maybe riskswith taking antidepres­sants, but there are also significan­t risks from not receiving treatment.”

Seena Fazel, Professor of forensic psychiatry at Oxford University, added: “The problem with this study is that the authors don’t have the necessary informatio­n on potentiall­y important background factors, which in this case will be genetic risks for autism.”

The study, published in the Journal of theAmerica­n Medical Associatio­n Pediatrics, was carried out by a team led by Professor Anick Bérard of the University of Montreal, who reviewed the medical records of 145,456 children born in Québec between 1998 and 2009, and their mothers.

The scientists investigat­ed a wide range of factors other than antidepres­sants that might have influenced the findings but concluded that SSRIs were the strongest link they could find to explain the increased risk of autism.

“The variety of causes of autism remain unclear, but studies have shown that both genetics and environmen­t can play a role,” Professor Bérard said. “Our study has establishe­d that taking antidepres­sants during the second or third trimester of pregnancy almost doubles the risk that the child will be diagnosed with autism by age seven.”

Some 4,732 infants, or 3.2 per cent of the children in the study, had been exposed in the womb to antidepres­sants, most during the first three months of pregnancy. However, the study found that the 2,532 children exposed to the drugs in the second or third trimesters were at 87 per cent increased risk of autism.

The absolute numbers were small: only 32 infants exposed to antidepres­sants during the second or third trimesterw­ere diagnosed with autism – 1.2 per cent of the total number of infants exposed in the womb. This compared with an overall autism rate of 0.72 per cent.

The problem with this study is that the authors don’t have the necessary background informatio­n

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