Association Between Exposure of Children to General Anesthesia and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Mariana L. Laporta, Juraj Sprung, Caroline A. Fejedelem, Dustin T. Henning, Amy L. Weaver, Andrew C. Hanson, Darrell R. Schroeder, Scott M. Myers, Robert G. Voigt, Toby N. Weingarten, Randall P. Flick, David O. Warner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that exposure of children prior to their third birthday to procedures requiring general anesthesia is associated with an increased incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in later life. This study employed a nested, 1:2 matched-case control study design using ASD cases identified in a population-based birth cohort of children born in Olmsted County, MN from 1976 to 2000. Matching variables included sex, date of birth, and mother’s age in conditional logistic regression including 499 ASD cases and 998 controls. After adjusting for birth weight and health status, there was no significant association between exposure and ASD (OR 1.27 [95% CI 0.92–1.76]), indicating that general anesthesia is not associated with an increased risk of ASD.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4301-4310
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Volume52
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2022

Keywords

  • ASD
  • Anesthesia
  • Autism
  • Childhood
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology

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