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. 2018 Sep 18:5:2329048X18800566.
doi: 10.1177/2329048X18800566. eCollection 2018.

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Neonatal Serum Magnesium Levels in Preterm Infants

Amanda V Bakian  1 , Deborah A Bilder  1 , E Kent Korgenski  2 , Joshua L Bonkowsky  3
Affiliations

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Neonatal Serum Magnesium Levels in Preterm Infants

Amanda V Bakian et al. Child Neurol Open. .

Abstract

Premature birth is associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder. Antenatal maternal magnesium administration is known to reduce subsequent risk of cerebral palsy including among premature infants, suggesting a potentially broader neuroprotective role for magnesium. Our objective was to determine whether magnesium could be protective against autism spectrum disorders in premature infants. A cohort of 4855 preterm children was identified, magnesium levels from 24 to 48 hours of life recorded, and subsequent autism spectrum disorder status determined. Adjusted relative risk of autism spectrum disorder with each 1 mg/dL increase in neonatal magnesium level was 1.15 (95% confidence interval: 0.86-1.53). Analysis of variance indicated that magnesium levels varied by gestational age and maternal antenatal magnesium supplementation, but not autism spectrum disorder status (F1,4824 = 1.43, P = .23). We found that neonatal magnesium levels were not associated with decreased autism spectrum disorder risk. Future research into autism spectrum disorder risks and treatments in premature infants is needed.

Keywords: autism; magnesium; prematurity; preterm.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Although unrelated to autism spectrum disorder, Dr. Bilder serves as a consultant and advisory board member to Audentes Therapeutics and BioMarin Pharmaceutical.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram depicting identification of the final study cohort.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Mean magnesium levels (±standard error) across gestational age among children with and without autism spectrum disorder and stratified by the presence or absence of antenatal magnesium supplementation (top and bottom panels, respectively).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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