The association between maternal diabetes, antidiabetic medication use, and severe ADHD requiring inpatient care: A registry-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND

Limited evidence exists on the association between maternal use of antidiabetic medications and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. This study examined the link between maternal diabetes, antidiabetic medication use, and the risk of severe Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) requiring inpatient care.

METHODS

The study analysed routinely collected linked health administrative data from New South Wales, Australia. Maternal diabetes, antidiabetic medication use, and offspring ADHD diagnoses were identified using ICD-10-AM codes. Binary logistic regression was fitted to estimate associations, with results reported as adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

A total of 229,785 mother-offspring pairs were included in the final analysis. After adjusting for potential confounders, intrauterine exposure to any form of maternal diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy, including gestational diabetes (GDM) and pre-existing diabetes, was not associated with an increased risk of severe ADHD in offspring (any diabetes: AOR = 1.10, 95 % CI: 0.84-1.45; GDM: AOR = 1.12, 95 % CI: 0.84-1.49; pre-existing diabetes: AOR = 1.29, 95 % CI: 0.53-3.14). Similarly, the use of antidiabetic medications during pregnancy was not linked with ADHD in children (OR = 1.17, 95 % CI: 0.66-2.06).

CONCLUSION

Our finding did not support the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to antidiabetic medications independently increases the risk of severe ADHD in children. Given the limited existing evidence, further research is warranted to better understand the long-term neurodevelopmental safety of these medications.