Is maternal anemia during pregnancy associated with risk of 3 commonly co-occurring neurodevelopmental disorders: autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and intellectual disability?

To test the a priori hypothesis that anemia diagnosed in mothers during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of ASD, ADHD, and ID in offspring and that the magnitude of the risk varies with regard to the timing of anemia in pregnancy.

In contrast to maternal anemia diagnosed toward the end of pregnancy, anemia diagnosed earlier in pregnancy was associated with increased risk of the development of ASD, ADHD, and particularly ID in offspring. Given that iron deficiency and anemia are common among women of childbearing age, our findings emphasize the importance of early screening for iron status and nutritional counseling in antenatal care.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2751260

https://www.neurologia.com//noticia/7420/vinculan-la-anemia-durante-el-embarazo-con-una-mayor-probabilidad-de-autismo-y-tdah-en-los-ninos