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Brief Report: Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 42, pages 2000–2005 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke is suggested as a potential risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous epidemiological studies of this topic have yielded mixed findings. We performed a case–control study of 3,958 ASD cases and 38,983 controls nested in a large register-based cohort in Sweden. ASD case status was measured using a multisource case ascertainment system. In adjusted results, we found that maternal smoking during pregnancy is not associated with increased risk of ASD regardless of presence or absence of comorbid intellectual disability. Apparent associations were attributable to confounding by sociodemographic characteristics of parents such as education, income, and occupation.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant from the Stockholm County Council (grant no. 2007008). DR is supported by a clinical lectureship award funded by the Severn Deanery, Bristol, UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Brian K. Lee

  2. Division of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Renee M. Gardner

  3. Division of Public Health Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Henrik Dal, Anna Svensson, Christina Dalman & Cecilia Magnusson

  4. Department of Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology Unit at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    Maria Rosaria Galanti

  5. Academic Unit of Psychiatry, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    Dheeraj Rai

  6. Avon and Wiltshire Partnership NHS Mental Health Trust, Bristol, UK

    Dheeraj Rai

Authors
  1. Brian K. Lee
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  2. Renee M. Gardner
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  3. Henrik Dal
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  4. Anna Svensson
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  5. Maria Rosaria Galanti
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  6. Dheeraj Rai
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  7. Christina Dalman
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  8. Cecilia Magnusson
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Correspondence to Brian K. Lee.

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Lee, B.K., Gardner, R.M., Dal, H. et al. Brief Report: Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 2000–2005 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1425-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1425-4

Keywords

  • Autism
  • Population register
  • Smoking
  • Sweden
  • Tobacco