Exposure to SSRIs in early pregnancy may increase risk of autism spectrum disorders

Exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors antidepressants (SSRIs) in early pregnancy may modestly increase risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), according to a Kaiser Permanente study published on-line in the current issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. However the researchers cautioned that the number of children exposed prenatally to SSRIs was low and that further studies are needed to validate these results.

Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the population-based, case-control study of 1,805 children is the first to systematically address the association between prenatal SSRI exposure and ASD risk.

Researchers reported a two-fold increased risk of ASD associated with maternal treatment with SSRI antidepressants during the year before delivery. The strongest effect was associated with first trimester treatment, said the study's lead author, Lisa Croen, director of the Autism Research Program at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California. She explained that in utero exposure to antidepressant medications was reported in 6.7% of cases and 3.3% of controls.