Some rare infections can be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy, with a new study finding a link between such infections and later development of autism and intellectual disability in children.
TORCH Infection
A mother's health during pregnancy impacts her child's development. To understand this, researchers conducted a large study that looked at rare infections transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy. The study found that children with TORCH infections at birth were at increased risk for autism and intellectual disability later in life. However, these infections are rare and may not be true in all cases.
Researchers studied the health records of approximately 3.666 million people born between 1987 and 2021. Of these, 975 individuals were diagnosed with congenital TORCH infection. These individuals were tracked for several years to determine the impact of the infection on their later development and learning. The study revealed that children with TORCH infection had approximately three times the risk of later being diagnosed with autism compared to children without the infection. The risk of intellectual disability was also found to be more than seven times higher.
What is TORCH infection?
TORCH is not the name of a single disease, but rather a group of infections. It includes infections such as toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes. In some cases, these infections can be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her unborn child. The unique feature of these infections is that some pathogens can cross the placenta and directly affect the fetus. This is why prevention during pregnancy is considered important.
The risk is higher in those with severe intellectual disability.
The research examined not only autism but also varying levels of intellectual disability. Children with mild to severe intellectual disability were found to be at increased risk for the infection. This association was strongest for those with severe to very severe intellectual disability. Furthermore, children with autism combined with intellectual disability had a stronger association with the infection than those without autism. The researchers also examined the children's educational records.
Those with TORCH infections had, on average, slightly lower school grades during adolescence. This difference was observed even among those without a documented diagnosis of autism or intellectual disability. Experts emphasize that TORCH infections are very rare, and therefore only a small proportion of autism cases in the overall population are believed to be linked to these infections. The study suggests a link between the infection and these health problems, but it should not be interpreted as a sure sign that a child will develop autism if infected during pregnancy.
