Peripartum usage of benzodiazepine and the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autistic spectrum disorder
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Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
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Posted on December 19th, 2022
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Benzodiazepines are frequently prescribed to manage anxiety and depression in pregnant women. However, little is known about the effect of the medication on fetal neurodevelopment. Previous studies had shown that the molecule can be found in amniotic fluid and might affect the fetus. Thus, a large cohort study was conducted to understand the risk of neurodevelopmental abnormalities due to prenatal exposure to benzodiazepine.
The study retrospectively extracted approximately 1.5 million health records collected between 2007 and 2014 from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. These children were born full term, and around 76 thousands of them were exposed to benzodiazepine at different stages of their pregnancy. These children were followed up for an average duration of 8 years. After adjusting for other covariates (parity, smoking status, opioid usage, etc.), the study reported that the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) was similar between those who were and were not exposed to benzodiazepine. This observation remains true when the data was stratified by the trimester of exposure and the type of benzodiazepine used. Analysis was also conducted with women who had more than two children, and there was no difference in the risk of neurodevelopmental abnormalities between the exposed and unexposed siblings. Thus, the study concluded that the maternal genetic background has a greater influence on the risk of ADHD and ASD.
The study retrospectively extracted approximately 1.5 million health records collected between 2007 and 2014 from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. These children were born full term, and around 76 thousands of them were exposed to benzodiazepine at different stages of their pregnancy. These children were followed up for an average duration of 8 years. After adjusting for other covariates (parity, smoking status, opioid usage, etc.), the study reported that the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) was similar between those who were and were not exposed to benzodiazepine. This observation remains true when the data was stratified by the trimester of exposure and the type of benzodiazepine used. Analysis was also conducted with women who had more than two children, and there was no difference in the risk of neurodevelopmental abnormalities between the exposed and unexposed siblings. Thus, the study concluded that the maternal genetic background has a greater influence on the risk of ADHD and ASD.