A new study linking autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to Cesarean section births is causing a media stir, but a deeper look at the data reveals that the headlines may be unnecessarily alarming readers.
A new report published in JAMA Network Open analyzed the results of 61 studies of more than 20 million C-sections throughout 19 countries, and found an overall 33 percent increase in the likelihood of a child developing autism — and a 17 percent higher risk of ADHD compared to those born vaginally.
Authors note that their statistical investigation does not prove that C-sections cause ADHD or autism; rather, it could be that the factors that lead to the decision to have a C-section are tied with these neuro-developmental issues.
Still, the results “suggest judicious use” of C-sections, researchers report.
The team, led by scientists at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, investigated data on millions of deliveries since 1999. Although that large data pool is significant, when the overall prevalence of these disorders is factored in — just 1 percent for autism and 7 percent for ADHD — the increase in odds is still extremely low.
“It’s not very dramatic. It’s statistically significant, but from the population standpoint, the risk is not huge,” Dr. Pankhuree Vandana, a pediatric psychiatrist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, who was not involved in the study, told Reuters. “And it absolutely does not prove that Cesarean section is causing autism or ADHD. The risk factors that lead to a C-section may also be risk factors that lead to autism or ADHD.”