First-Trimester Ultrasound Associated To Severity Of Autism Symptoms

Ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy linked to the severity of autism symptoms

New research associates diagnostic ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy with the severity of autism symptoms in the fetus of the ones genetically liable to the condition.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disturbance characterized by weak social interaction, non-verbal and verbal communication, and limited and repetitive behavior. Parents usually notice the signs of the disease in the first two years of their child’s development.

These symptoms develop gradually, although some children with autism approach their developmental milestones at a regular pace and then regress. Although autism is extremely heritable, scientists assume that both environmental and genetic factors as determinants.

Early behavioral or speech interventions can encourage children with autism gain self-care, communication, and social skills. In 2013, autism was estimated to affect more than 21.7 million people globally. It is proved to occur four to five times more frequently in boys than girls.

Specialists from the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Research Institute analyzed data from Simon’s Simplex Collection autism genetic repository which comprises samples from 2,644 families who have a kid with ASD and the information reported there could be a connection between exposure to diagnostic ultrasound.

Sara Webb, the lead author of the study from the University of Washington, mentioned that for kids with autism who have known genetic difficulties, ultrasound could be an environmental stressor that drives them to have worst consequences. Moreover, previous investigations revealed ultrasound exposure in-utero determined mice to display autistic-like symptoms.

Sara also stated that there is no proof right now to imply that ultrasound itself is a risk for autism. Nevertheless, it does insinuate that there are pregnancies, where the fetuses are defenseless.

According to instructions from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the diagnostic ultrasound must only be used for a medical requirement.

There has been a visible effort in understanding why there are so many children with autism and what is triggering this disease. Moreover, scientists are trying to figure out why are children suffering from autism so different from each other.

The study’s conclusions are associated to the first trimester of pregnancy; data from studying the impact of ultrasound on the third and second trimester revealed no link.

Image source: Pixabay

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Roxanne Briean

I am a geek, a gamer and a writer. I have always been fascinated with the online community. At the moment I work as a full-time writer and study interior design. When I'm not scouring the net in search of interesting new gadgets and software I spend my time in MOBAs or drawing.