No clear link between maternal diabetes during pregnancy, hyperactivity disorder in children, global study led by Hong Kong professor finds
- Two-decade study found maternal diabetes during pregnancy is unlikely to be a direct cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Professor Ian Wong, head of the department of pharmacology and pharmacy at the University of Hong Kong, led a team of 28 researchers in global study
An international research team led by a Hong Kong professor has found no clear link between maternal diabetes during pregnancy and hyperactivity disorder in children, in contrast to previous studies about a condition that affects one in 20 youngsters.
The study, published in the Nature Medicine journal on Monday, found that maternal diabetes during pregnancy was unlikely to be a direct cause of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The Hong Kong samples were among the 3.6 million mother-baby pairs from around the world, including Taiwan, New Zealand, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Researchers surveyed them over two decades between 2001 and 2020 and found that ADHD risks in children were likely to be influenced by genetic and familial factors.
The impact of maternal diabetes on the risk of ADHD in children has been a subject of debate because of inconsistent findings in previous studies, causing persistent concerns about pregnancies among women with diabetes.