Obstetric mode of delivery and risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children: insights from the Quebec pregnancy cohort.

BACKGROUND

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prevalence in Canadian children increased 3.5-fold between 1999 and 2012, influenced by genetics and perinatal environmental factors. During the same period, cesarean section rates rose from 18.7% in 1997 to 29.4% in 2018, exceeding WHO guidelines and raising health concerns for women and children.

METHODS

This study aims to investigate the association between different obstetric modes of delivery and the risk of ADHD in children. Using data from the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort, we included all singleton liveborn infants insured by the provincial public drug insurance from 1998 to 2015. The mode of delivery was classified using ICD-9-CM/ICD-10-CM diagnosis and procedure codes, into four categories: unassisted vaginal delivery, assisted vaginal delivery, elective cesarean section, and emergency cesarean section. ADHD cases were identified as having at least one diagnosis, or one prescription filled for ADHD medication. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association between mode of delivery and the risk of ADHD in children, adjusted for potential confounding factors.

RESULTS

Of the 229,816 eligible singletons, 72.9% were delivered through unassisted vaginal delivery, 5.9% through assisted vaginal delivery, 3.0% through elective cesarean section, and 19.5% through emergency cesarean section. The study identified 31,225 cases of ADHD (13.6%). Using unassisted vaginal delivery as reference, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of ADHD was of 1.12 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-1.19; 1,284 exposed cases) for assisted vaginal delivery and 1.06 (95% CI, 1.03-1.10; 5,552 exposed cases) for emergency cesarean delivery. As for elective cesarean delivery, the aHR was of 0.96 (95% CI, 0.91-1.01; 1,486 exposed cases).

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that assisted vaginal delivery and emergency cesarean section are associated with an increased risk of ADHD in children, compared with unassisted vaginal delivery after adjusting for potential risk factors.