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March 6 (UPI) -- Pregnant women infected with sepsis, flu or pneumonia can significantly increase the chance of giving birth to a baby with autism. Mothers infected during pregnancy had nearly an 80 percent elevated risk of having a child with autism and a 24 percent risk of having a child who grows up with depression, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry. "These findings suggest that preventing any infection in mothers during pregnancy may be important for the long-term health of their children," said Benjamin al-Haddad, a former researcher at the University of Washington and study lead author, in a news release.
Other infections that can make newborns more susceptible to depression or autism are meningitis, encephalitis, chorioamnionitis, pyelonephritis or a urinary tract infection.
Other infections that can make newborns more susceptible to depression or autism are meningitis, encephalitis, chorioamnionitis, pyelonephritis or a urinary tract infection.
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