Observational studyPediatric research2020
Postnatal steroid therapy is associated with autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents of very low birth weight infants.
Observational study in Pediatric research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Identifying the risk factors of autism spectrum disorders in infants born preterm: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- School-age outcomes of children after perinatal brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ paediatrics open · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the Risk Factors for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children Born Preterm.Child psychiatry and human development · 2021Pooled it
- Early-life lung injury and the developing brain: a lung-brain axis perspective on neurodevelopmental disorders.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Review
- Polygenic risk for autism spectrum disorder based on four group comparison across term and preterm birth.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Evaluation of Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk in Infants With Intraventricular Hemorrhage.Cureus · 2023Article
- Trends, Characteristic, and Outcomes of Preterm Infants Who Received Postnatal Corticosteroid: A Cohort Study from 7 High-Income Countries.Neonatology · 2023Article
- Maternal risk factors vary between subpopulations of children with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2022Article
- Incidence and risk factors for autism spectrum disorder among infants born <29 weeks' gestation.Paediatrics & child health · 2022Article
- Association between small for gestational age and risk of autism spectrum disorders: a meta-analysis.Clinical and experimental pediatrics · 2021Article
- Glucocorticosteroids Effects on Brain Development in the Preterm Infant: A Role for Microglia?Current neuropharmacology · 2021Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study evaluates the association between major neonatal morbidities and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children and adolescents born of very low birth weight (VLBW).
methodsHistorical cohort study using the Israel national VLBW infant database linked with the Maccabi Healthcare Services (MHS) medical records. The study cohort comprised 4963 VLBW subjects born from 1999 to 2012, >1 year of age. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess factors associated with ASD.
resultsThe diagnosis of ASD was confirmed in 113 children (2.3%). Infants with major neonatal morbidities had higher rates of ASD; however, in the multivariable analyses these were not significantly associated with ASD: severe intraventricular hemorrhage (OR 1.21 [95% CI 0.60-2.45]), post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus (OR 1.77 [0.73-4.29]), periventricular leukomalacia (OR 1.02 [0.42-2.51]), severe retinopathy of prematurity (OR 1.91 [0.995-3.67]), and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (OR 1.44 [0.84-2.45]). Postnatal steroid therapy when included separately was associated with an OR of 1.97 [1.18-3.29] for ASD. This association remained significant when postnatal steroid therapy was included with each of the neonatal morbidities (ORs ranging from 1.91 to 2.11).
conclusionsThis study suggests a significant association between postnatal steroid therapy and ASD in VLBW infants. This possible association should be considered in future studies evaluating potential risk factors for ASD in preterm infants.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.