Cognitive and Motor Development in 3- to 6-Year-Old Children Born to Mothers with Hyperglycaemia First Detected in Pregnancy in an Urban African Population

Background An estimated 30% of women in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from soil-transmitted helminth infection during pregnancy (SHIP), which has been shown to increase risk of pre-term birth, low birth weight, and maternal anemia. A previous study in Benin found that SHIP was associated with impaired cognitive and gross motor development scores in 635 one-year-old children. The objective of the present study was to follow children prospectively to investigate whether the association between SHIP and child neurocognitive and behavioral development persisted at age six. Principal findings Our prospective child cohort included 487 live-born singletons of pregnant women enrolled in the Malaria in Pregnancy Preventive Alternative Drugs clinical trial in Allada, Benin. SHIP was assessed at three antenatal visits (ANVs) through collection and testing of stool samples. Neurocognitive and behavioral development was assessed in six-year-old children by trained investigators using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children 2nd edition and the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Multiple linear regression models generated coefficients and 95% confidence intervals and potential mediating factors were tested. Prevalence of SHIP was 13% at the 1st ANV, 9% at the 2nd ANV, and 1% at delivery. SHIP was not associated with low neurocognitive scores in children at six years. Higher SDQ internalizing scores, indicating increased emotional impairments in children, were associated with helminth infection at the 2nd ANV/delivery 1.07 (95% CI 0.15, 2.00) and at least once during pregnancy 0.79 (95% CI 0.12, 1.46) in adjusted models. Mediation analysis did not reveal significant indirect effects of several mediators on this association. Conclusions Our study shows that while SHIP is not associated with impaired long-term neurocognitive development, infections may have significant negative impacts on emotional development in six-year-old children. SHIP remains a critical public health issue, and adequate prevention and treatment protocols should be enforced in low- and middle-income countries.

Download Full-text

Gallbladder diseases in pregnancy: Sonographic findings in an indigenous African population

Journal of Ultrasonography ◽

10.15557/jou.2019.0040 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (79) ◽

pp. 269-275

Author(s):

Bukunmi Michael Idowu ◽

◽

Stephen Olaoluwa Onigbin ◽

Isaiah Uzezi Ebie ◽

Michael Temidayo Adeyemi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

African Population ◽

Gallbladder Diseases ◽

In Pregnancy

Download Full-text

A trajectory analysis of childhood motor development following stress in pregnancy: The QF2011 flood study

Developmental Psychobiology ◽

10.1002/dev.21767 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 60 (7) ◽

pp. 836-848 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Gabrielle Simcock ◽

David P. Laplante ◽

Guillaume Elgbeili ◽

Sue Kildea ◽

Suzanne King

Keyword(s):

Motor Development ◽

Trajectory Analysis ◽

In Pregnancy

Download Full-text

Association between maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood: results from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114517001398 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 117 (12) ◽

pp. 1682-1692 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Andrea L. Darling ◽

Margaret P. Rayman ◽

Colin D. Steer ◽

Jean Golding ◽

Susan A. Lanham-New ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Motor Development ◽

Vitamin D Status ◽

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes ◽

Maternal Vitamin ◽

Parents And Children ◽

Maternal Vitamin D Status ◽

Avon Longitudinal Study ◽

In Pregnancy

AbstractSeafood intake in pregnancy has been positively associated with childhood cognitive outcomes which could potentially relate to the high vitamin D content of oily fish. However, whether higher maternal vitamin D status (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)) in pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of offspring suboptimal neurodevelopmental outcomes is unclear. A total of 7065 mother–child pairs were studied from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort who had data for both serum total 25(OH)D concentration in pregnancy and at least one measure of offspring neurodevelopment (pre-school development at 6–42 months; ‘Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire’ scores at 7 years; intelligence quotient (IQ) at 8 years; reading ability at 9 years). After adjustment for confounders, children of vitamin D-deficient mothers (<50·0 nmol/l) were more likely to have scores in the lowest quartile for gross-motor development at 30 months (OR 1·20; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·40), fine-motor development at 30 months (OR 1·23; 95 % CI 1·05, 1·44) and social development at 42 months (OR 1·20; 95 % CI 1·01, 1·41) than vitamin D-sufficient mothers (≥50·0 nmol/l). No associations were found with neurodevelopmental outcomes, including IQ, measured at older ages. However, our results suggest that deficient maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy may have adverse effects on some measures of motor and social development in children under 4 years. Prevention of vitamin D deficiency may be important for preventing suboptimal development in the first 4 years of life.

Download Full-text

Iron Supplementation in Pregnancy or Infancy and Motor Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.2015-3547 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 137 (4) ◽

pp. e20153547-e20153547 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

R. M. Angulo-Barroso ◽

M. Li ◽

D. C. C. Santos ◽

Y. Bian ◽

J. Sturza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Motor Development ◽

Iron Supplementation ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

In Pregnancy

Download Full-text

Smoking in pregnancy and children’s mental and motor development at age 1 and 5 years

Early Human Development ◽

10.1016/s0378-3782(99)00017-1 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 55 (2) ◽

pp. 137-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

N. Trasti ◽

T. Vik ◽

G. Jacobsen ◽

L.S. Bakketeig

Keyword(s):

Motor Development ◽

Smoking In Pregnancy ◽

In Pregnancy

Download Full-text

Is acetaminophen safe in pregnancy?

Scandinavian Journal of Pain ◽

10.1016/j.sjpain.2017.09.007 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 445-446 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Katsuhiro Toda

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adverse Effects ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Motor Development ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Effective Dosage ◽

Care Providers ◽

In Pregnancy

AbstractAcetaminophen is thought to be the safest analgesic and antipyretic medicine for pregnant women, and it is widely used all over the world. However, prenatal acetaminophen was reported to be associated with asthma, lower performance intelligence quotient (IQ), shorter male infant anogenital distance (predicting poor male reproductive potential), autism spectrum disorder, neurodevelopmental problems (gross motor development, communication), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, poorer attention and executive function, and behavioral problems in childhood. Each article has poor power to show risks of acetaminophen, however, the integration of the articles that showed adverse effects of acetaminophen may have power to show them. Acetaminophen use in childhood was associated with autism spectrum disorder, asthma symptoms, wheezing, and allergic disease. Acetaminophen is the safest medicine as analgesics for nociceptive pain and antipyretics in childhood and pregnancy. There is no alternative medication of acetaminophen. Acetaminophen should not be withheld from children or pregnant women for fears it might develop adverse effects. Acetaminophen should be used at the lowest effective dosage and for the shortest time. When we know the possible, rare but serious complications, we should use acetaminophen in pregnancy only when needed and no safer option for pain or fever relief is available. Health care providers should help inform the general lay public about this difficult dilemma.

Download Full-text