Abstract
Exposure to environmental contaminants during pregnancy has been linked to adverse health outcomes later in life. Notable among these pollutants are the endocrine disruptors chemicals (EDCs), which are ubiquitously present in the environment and they have been measured and quantified in the fetus. In this systematic review, our objective was to summarize the epidemiological research on the potential association between prenatal exposure to EDCs and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) published from 2005 to 2016. The Navigation Guide Systematic Review Methodology was applied. A total of 17 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review, including: five cohorts and 12 case-control. According to the definitions specified in the Navigation Guide, we rated the quality of evidence for a relationship between prenatal exposure to EDCs and ASD as “moderate”. Although the studies generally showed a positive association between EDCs and ASD, after considering the strengths and limitations, we concluded that the overall strength of evidence supporting an association between prenatal exposure to EDCs and later ASD in humans remains “limited” and inconclusive. Further well-conducted prospective studies are warranted to clarify the role of EDCs on ASD development.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) comprise a complex set of behaviorally defined neurodevelopmental abnormalities in two core areas: deficits in social communication and fixated, restricted, repetitive, or stereotyped behaviors and interests
PBDEs, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) BPA, PCDD was significantly higher in cases than controls (t = 2.9, p = 0.001) and self-reported exposure was significantly higher in cases than controls (t = 5.6, p = 0.001)
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were assessed on the Autism Diagnostic Interview
Summary
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) comprise a complex set of behaviorally defined neurodevelopmental abnormalities in two core areas: deficits in social communication and fixated, restricted, repetitive, or stereotyped behaviors and interests. Describe ASD prevalence among four-year-old children in 5 of 11 sites participating in the 2010 Autism. Children 2018, 5, 157 and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network as 13.4 per 1000, which was 30% lower than eight-year-old ASD prevalence, and the male-to-female ratio is nearly 5:1 [7,8]. Studies on the concordance of autism diagnosis between identical twins and among siblings have indicated a strong genetic component contributing to ASD [11,12]. Studies examining the concordance rates between monozygotic twins revealed that the concordance rate of ASD between monozygotic twins was higher than of dizygotic twins, the penetrance was still partial, revealing that genetic factors alone do not explain all of the pathogenicity and variability in ASD [14]
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