Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40528692›Full record

ArticlePaediatric and perinatal epidemiology2025

Early-Onset Neonatal Infection and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Mads Andersen, Niels Bjerregård Matthiesen, May Murra, Stine Yde Nielsen, Tine Brink Henriksen

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Article in Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

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4citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Mads AndersenDepartment of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9682-9272
Niels Bjerregård MatthiesenDepartment of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
May MurraDepartment of Clinical Microbiology, Lillebaelt Hospital, Vejle, Denmark.
Stine Yde NielsenDepartment of Clinical Microbiology, Lillebaelt Hospital, Vejle, Denmark.
Tine Brink HenriksenDepartment of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.

Funding

Beckett-Fonden 21-2-6912Elsass Fonden 21-3-0256Helsefonden 21-B-0186Sundhedsvidenskabelige Fakultet, Aarhus Universitet
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEarly-onset neonatal infections are among the most common neonatal diseases. However, the long-term outcomes of the infections are not well understood.

objectiveTo study the association between early-onset neonatal infection and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

methodsA nationwide register-based cohort study was conducted, including near-term and term children born between 1997 and 2013 with follow-up until 2021. An early-onset infection was defined as an invasive bacterial infection occurring within the first week of life, including both physician-assigned diagnoses and positive bacterial cultures. ADHD and ASD were defined by diagnoses or prescriptions of relevant medication. Associations between sepsis and the neurodevelopmental disorders were investigated using multivariable Cox regression to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR), whereas associations with meningitis were examined using person-time incidence rate ratios (IRR). Sibling-matched analyses were also conducted for associations with sepsis.

resultsA total of 981,869 children were included, with 8154 defined as having sepsis and 152 defined as having meningitis. Among these, only 257 children had culture-positive sepsis, whereas 32 had culture-positive meningitis. The incidence rate of ADHD and ASD for children with sepsis was 4.5 per 1000 and 3.3 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Sepsis was associated with an increased adjusted likelihood of both ADHD (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17, 1.39) and ASD (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.30, 1.58). However, sibling-matched analyses especially attenuated the association with ADHD (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.93, 1.34). Point estimates suggested that children with meningitis also had an increased likelihood of both ADHD (IRR 1.77, 95% CI 0.88, 3.17) and ASD (IRR 2.05, 95% CI 0.89, 4.04).

conclusionsEarly-onset sepsis was associated with an increased likelihood of ASD, whereas the majority of the association with ADHD could be explained by unmeasured shared familial confounding.

Indexed as

Attention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityAutism Spectrum DisorderNeonatal SepsisChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesFemaleHumansIncidenceInfantInfant, NewbornMaleRegistriesattention deficit disorder with hyperactivityautism spectrum disorderbacterial infectionsbacterial meningitisneonatal sepsisneurodevelopmental disorders

Identifiers

PMID40528692
PMCPMC12574489

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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.