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Maternal diabetes may reduce cognitive function in offspring
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Adolescents whose mothers had type 1 diabetes demonstrated lower cognitive function than those with healthy mothers, according to recent study results.
The differences in cognitive function were maintained after adjustment for confounders and potential mediators and may indicate that maternal diabetes can have direct harmful effects on neurodevelopment in offspring, according to the researchers.
Birgitte Bytoft, a PhD student in the Center for Pregnant Women with Diabetes at Rigshospitalet in Denmark, and colleagues evaluated 277 offspring aged 13 to 19 years of women from the EPICOM study to determine the long-term cognitive consequences of intrauterine hyperglycemia in adolescent offspring of women with type 1 diabetes. A control group free of maternal diabetes was identified using the background population (n = 301).
The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales were used to measure cognitive function, which was classified as composite intelligence, verbal and nonverbal intelligence, and composite memory. Researchers also assessed the frequencies of reading and writing problems and attendance in classes for participants with learning difficulties.
Compared with controls, participants whose mothers had type 1 diabetes had lower scores for composite intelligence (P = .001), verbal intelligence (P = .004), nonverbal intelligence (P = .008) and composite memory (P = .001).
In both groups combined, independent positive predictors of composite intelligence were age at follow-up (P = .01), parental educational length (P < .001), maternal age at delivery (P = .001) and birth weight standard deviation scores (P = .001); multiparity was an independent negative predictor (P = .005). Parental educational length (P = .001) and maternal age at delivery (P = .02) were independent positive predictors of composite memory; male sex (P = .001) was an independent negative predictor.
Parents were more likely to report learning difficulties for participants whose mothers had type 1 diabetes compared with controls.
Among participants whose mothers had type 1 diabetes, participants whose mothers had episodes of hypoglycemia or ketoacidosis had lower cognitive scores compared with those who mothers did not experience hypoglycemia or ketoacidosis.
“Results from this well-characterized prospectively followed cohort indicate harmful effects of maternal diabetes on neurodevelopment in the offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes,” the researchers wrote. “Exposure to maternal diabetes had an effect on all intelligence indices, and cues to specific brain areas affected were not obvious in our study. Increased attention to the group of children at special risk of cognitive impairment, who could benefit from early intervention on cognitive difficulties, is necessary. Future studies may be able to evaluate implications of maternal glycemic control in pregnancy using a more precise glycemic measurement.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: Bytoft reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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