Has anyone done thorough research? There are many studies, here's a synopsis:
Anecdotally, I know and hear of so many women with MS who have autistic children. This scares me, and if I do become pregnant, I wonder if there's anything I can do to try to mitigate the risk. I would appreciate any and all scientific knowledge, insights, experiences etc.A new study suggests that about 1 in 10 mothers of children with autism have antibodies that react with proteins in the brain of their children, and these antibrain antibodies correlate with maternal autoimmunity.
The study found an increased prevalence of autoimmune disease, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in mothers with antibrain antibodies. This finding is "consistent with the hypothesis that autoimmune diseases may confer risk for ASD in the offspring of mothers with these disorders," the investigators say.
The underlying etiology for autism remains unknown, although genetic and environmental factors, including in utero environmental factors, are thought to be involved.
There is mounting evidence that maternal antibodies can target the fetal brain. Several studies have identified the presence of antibodies that bind to human fetal brain tissue in mothers with an ASD child. When antibrain antibodies from mothers of an ASD child are administered to pregnant mice or pregnant monkeys, the offspring exhibit behavioral alterations akin to those seen in ASD children.
As reported by Medscape Medical News, several studies have linked maternal infections or inflammation during pregnancy to the development of ASD in offspring, suggesting that activation of the maternal immune system might lead to an increased risk of having a child with ASD.
To further examine ties between antibrain antibodies, autism, and autoimmunity, Dr. Diamond and colleagues screened plasma of 2431 mothers of an ASD child and 653 unselected women of childbearing age for antibrain antibodies.
Using immunohistology on mouse brain, they found that mothers of an ASD child were nearly 4 times more likely to harbor antibrain antibodies than unselected women of childbearing age (P < .00001).
Thank you
