World. – A study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that children born to women who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy are more likely to be diagnosed with autism or other developmental delays at age three.
The research analyzed more than 18,000 births in Massachusetts between 2020 and 2021, before mass vaccination. Of the 861 women who tested positive for the virus during pregnancy, 16.3% of their children were diagnosed with a neurological condition, compared to 9.7% of children whose mothers were not infected.
The risk was highest when infection occurred in the third trimester and among male children, although the authors stress that the absolute risk remains low.
The specialists clarified that the study is observational, so it does not demonstrate a direct causal relationship between the infection and autism, but it reinforces the importance of vaccination during pregnancy to protect the neurological development of the baby.
