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.
Past studies have shown about 16 per cent of women experience high blood sugar levels during pregnancy, which can affect the baby’s brain and nervous system development.
ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children and can have severe negative consequences on the individual’s social and emotional abilities.
According to Hospital Authority data, ADHD can be found in 5 per cent to 9 per cent of children in Hong Kong.
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In the latest study, researchers first found that children born to mothers with gestational diabetes had a slightly higher risk of ADHD compared with those born to mothers without.
However, further comparison showed that siblings with and without exposure to gestational diabetes had no significant difference in their risk of ADHD.
“This unexpected result indicates that the previously identified risk of ADHD when children were exposed to gestational diabetes during pregnancy is likely due to shared genetic and familial factors, rather than gestational diabetes per se,” the paper said.
“These findings challenge previous studies that suggested maternal diabetes during or before pregnancy could heighten the risk of ADHD in children.”
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Wong said the study found only a “modest association” between maternal diabetes and ADHD in children.
In contrast, previous studies hypothesised that maternal diabetes during pregnancy could significantly increase the risk of ADHD.
“Notably, sibling comparisons showed this association is likely influenced by shared genetic and familial factors, particularly in the case of gestational diabetes,” Wong said.
He pointed to the need for deliberate consideration and future research, urging women planning pregnancy to consider their holistic risk profile rather than focusing solely on gestational diabetes.
