An evaluation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and specific learning disorder in children born to diabetic gravidas: a case control study


Akaltun I., YAPÇA Ö. E., AYAYDIN H., Kara T.

ANADOLU PSIKIYATRI DERGISI-ANATOLIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY, cilt.20, sa.4, ss.442-448, 2019 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

Özet

Objective: Children born after risky pregnancies are known to have an increased disposition to neurodevelopmental disorders. The purpose of our study was to investigate the relationship between diabetic pregnancy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific learning disorder (SLD). Methods: One hundred thirty-seven children of mothers with diabetic pregnancies and 128 children of mothers without a history of diabetic pregnancy were enrolled. Forty-nine of the case group had a history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 88 of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). All participants were evaluated using The Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (6-18) (K-SADS PL), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), and the SLD Battery. The results were then subjected to statistical analysis. Results: A statistically significant difference was determined between the case and control groups in terms of levels of diagnosis of ADHD and SLD. Significant differences were determined between verbal/performance/total IQ scores when IDDM and GDM were compared with the control group. When the IDDM and GDM subgroups were compared among themselves, no significant difference was determined between verbal/performance/total IQ scores. Significant variation was observed between the IDDM and GDM groups in terms of ADHD and SLD diagnoses. IQ scores decreased as fasting blood sugar increased in all parameters. Conclusion: Significantly, more diagnoses of ADHD and SLD were observed in children born to diabetic mothers compared to those of non-diabetic mothers. Further, wide-ranging studies on the subject of the effect of diabetic pregnancy and blood sugar control on infant neurodevelopmental disorders are now needed.