because of their mood-stabilizing effects. However, there has been debate about whether mothers can safely take lithium during pregnancy amid increasing evidence it is associated with a higher risk of miscarriage and cardiac anomalies or defects in newborns.
There had been little research on humans about how lithium affects brain growth and development. Keeping this in mind researchers decided to examine the possible association between lithium and autism risk.
Possible Link Between Autism Risk and Lithium in Water Supply
Some experimental research indicated lithium, which is among several naturally occurring metals often found in water, could affect an important molecular pathway involved in neurodevelopment and autism.
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This study was important because prior research findings from Denmark using high-quality medical registry data have already shown that ingestion of chronic and low-dose lithium from drinking can influence the occurrence of adult-onset neuropsychiatric disorders.
However, no study has been performed to assess whether lithium from drinking water consumed by pregnant women affects their child’s neurodevelopment. Researchers analyzed lithium levels in 151 public waterworks in Denmark, representing the water supply for about half of the country’s population.
To identify which waterworks supplied mothers’ homes at the time of their pregnancy, the researchers used address information from Denmark’s comprehensive civil registry system. Using a nationwide database of patients with psychiatric disorders, the researchers identified children who were born in 1997-2013, and compared 12,799 diagnosed with autism against 63,681 children who did not have an autism diagnosis.
They also controlled for maternal characteristics, some socioeconomic factors, and air pollution exposures, all of which have been linked to an increased risk of autism in children. Compared to the lowest quartile of recorded lithium levels – in other words, those in the 25th percentile – lithium levels in the second and third quartiles were associated with a 24-26% higher risk of autism.
In the highest quartile, the risk was 46% higher compared to the lowest quartile. Researchers found a similar relationship between increased lithium levels and a higher risk of autism diagnosis when the data were broken down by subtypes of the disorder.
They also found the association between lithium levels and autism risk was slightly stronger for those living in urban areas compared to smaller towns and rural areas.
Source: Eurekalert
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