Abstract
Elevated plasma IL‐6 concentrations during pregnancy are associated with certain neurological disorders (e.g. autism and schizophrenia) in offspring. We investigated the hypothesis that IL‐6 is a risk factor in women who gave birth to a child with FASD. Alcohol‐exposed and control women were recruited during mid pregnancy (mean gestational age 20.4±7.0 wk). A subset of blood samples were obtained from women in the third trimester and analyzed for plasma cytokines. Children were examined at 6 and 12 months and were classified as having FASD if they presented with both physical features and one Bayley Score of Infant Development test below 85. There were no differences in IL‐10 or TNF‐α concentrations among the groups. In contrast, alcohol‐exposed women with children displaying features of FASD had significantly higher plasma IL‐6 levels (n=26, ‐0.21±0.07 log pg/mL) compared to alcohol‐exposed women who bore children with no features of FASD (n=25, ‐0.48±0.07 log pg/mL, p=0.007) when controlled for smoking and socioeconomic status. There were no differences in IL‐6 levels in the control women (n=13, ‐0.26±0.09 log pg/mL) compared to either alcohol‐exposed group. These data suggest that IL‐6 can be a contributor in FASD and further investigation is warranted.
Published Version
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