Mother has flu, child is prone to autism

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A new study, a group of Danish scientists has shown that, during pregnancy, if the mother's immune system is affected (specifically when their body is infected with the flu virus) it will affect the development of the mother. baby's brain development. The study data were obtained from a survey of more than 100,000 pregnant women in Denmark between 1996 and 2002. The children born to these women are currently between the ages of 8 and 12.

The group of women participating in the survey were continuously monitored during pregnancy and after childbirth, especially for infections they had as well as medications used. Statistics show that, out of 100,000 cases, 96,736 babies are born to mothers who contracted the flu during pregnancy.

On the other hand, when looking at the Danish national mental illness diagnostic literature during the above time period, the team found that for every 1% of children born with a diagnosis of autism, 0.4 % of cases of congenital autism (ie, all major pathological symptoms appear before the child is 3 years old).

To find out the link between the health status of pregnant mothers and the babies born, Dr. Hjordis Osk Atladottir, Aarhus University, led the research team that conducted this problem in rodents. He said, when stimulating the immune cells of pregnant female mice, this effect will be transmitted across the placenta and directly affect the chemical composition of the brain of the pups in the abdomen. Whether similar processes take place in humans is being investigated further.

The study authors also reassured pregnant women not to panic about the findings of this survey. Because, the purpose of the study was only to find out a potential link between the mother's immune system and the baby's brain later in life.

Dr Hjordis acknowledged the study was limited, so the results were preliminary, and it was still too early to issue a warning. "Mothers should not be too alarmed because the results of our study are preliminary and exploratory," the author told Newspapergroup.

Thi Tran - VnExpress