A recent study showed that a common virus in newborns, cytomegalovirus (CMV), may increase the risk of autism.
The research reviewed the medical records of nearly three million babies and found that those born with CMV were two and a half times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than children without CMV.
CMV, which affects about one in 200 babies, is the most common congenital infection in the US.
Dr. Megan Pesch, lead author of the study and a pediatrician at the University of Michigan, spoke to the Daily Mail about the findings, believing that CMV could cause inflammation in the fetal brain, disrupting its development and leading to autism.
She knows this situation well, as her daughter was born with CMV and later diagnosed with autism. Dr. Pesch is trying to raise information and awareness about CMV screening during pregnancy, as is the case in other countries, writes the New York Post.
According to available literature, infants born with CMV are at higher risk for other conditions, such as hearing loss and developmental delays.
About one in every 200 American babies is born with CMV each year. Nearly 20% of those babies will experience birth defects or other long-term health problems, such as hearing or vision loss, developmental delays or epilepsy. /21Media