Maternal iodine status in a multi-ethnic UK birth cohort: associations with autism spectrum disorder
Authors
Cromie, Kirsten Jade
Threapleton, Diane Erin
Snart, Charles Jonathan Peter
Taylor, Elizabeth
Mason, Dan
Wright, Barry
Kelly, Brian
Reid, Stephen
Azad, Rafaq
Keeble, Claire
Waterman, Amanda H.
Meadows, Sarah
McKillion, Amanda
Alwan, Nisreen A.
Cade, Janet Elizabeth
Simpson, Nigel A. B.
Stewart, Paul M.
Zimmermann, Michael
Wright, John
Waiblinger, Dagmar
Mon-Williams, Mark
Hardie, Laura J.
Publication Date
2020-12-05Journal Title
BMC Pediatrics
Publisher
BioMed Central
Volume
20
Issue
1
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Cromie, K. J., Threapleton, D. E., Snart, C. J. P., Taylor, E., Mason, D., Wright, B., Kelly, B., et al. (2020). Maternal iodine status in a multi-ethnic UK birth cohort: associations with autism spectrum disorder. BMC Pediatrics, 20 (1)https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-020-02440-y
Abstract
Abstract: Background: Maternal iodine requirements increase during pregnancy to supply thyroid hormones essential for fetal brain development. Maternal iodine deficiency can lead to hypothyroxinemia, a reduced fetal supply of thyroid hormones which, in the first trimester, has been linked to an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the child. No study to date has explored the direct link between maternal iodine deficiency and diagnosis of ASD in offspring. Methods: Urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) and iodine/creatinine ratios (I:Cr) were measured in 6955 mothers at 26–28 weeks gestation participating in the Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort. Maternal iodine status was examined in relation to the probability of a Read (CTV3) code for autism being present in a child’s primary care records through a series of logistic regression models with restricted cubic splines. Results: Median (inter-quartile range) UIC was 76 μg/L (46, 120) and I:Cr was 83 μg/g (59, 121) indicating a deficient population according to WHO guidelines. Ninety two children (1·3%) in our cohort had received a diagnosis of ASD by the census date. Overall, there was no evidence to support an association between I:Cr or UIC and ASD risk in children aged 8–12 years (p = 0·3). Conclusions: There was no evidence of an increased clinical ASD risk in children born to mothers with mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency at 26 weeks gestation. Alternative functional biomarkers of exposure and a wider range of conditions may provide further insight.
Keywords
Research Article, Nutrition, diet, physical health and endocrinology, Autism spectrum disorder, Iodine, Deficiency, Fetal development, Thyroid, Pregnancy
Sponsorship
National Institute for Health Research (PR-R10-0514-11004)
Identifiers
s12887-020-02440-y, 2440
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-020-02440-y
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/314805
Rights
Licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/