Skip to main content

Prenatal Cannabis Use Disorder Increases Risk for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 15, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 15, 2024 -- Prenatal cannabis use disorder (CUD) is associated with a higher risk for subsequent neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, according to a study presented at the annual congress of the European Psychiatric Association, held from April 6 to 9 in Budapest, Hungary.

Abay Woday Tadesse, from Curtin University in Perth, Australia, and colleagues examined the association between prenatal CUD and neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring. The analysis included administrative health data from 222,569 mother-offspring pairs (live births from January 2003 to December 2005).

The researchers found that offspring from mothers with prenatal CUD had an increased risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.98), autism spectrum disorder (ASD; aRR, 1.94), and intellectual disability (ID; aRR, 1.46) compared with nonexposed offspring. There was also a significant interaction effect observed for CUD during pregnancy and maternal smoking with the risk for childhood neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD: RR, 5.62; ASD: RR, 2.72; and ID: RR, 2.84). Lastly, there were significant associations between CUD and ADHD, ASD, and ID when interacting with low birth weight and premature birth.

"The increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children of mothers diagnosed with prenatal cannabis use that we have observed in this study underscores the critical needs for preventive measures, including preconception counselling, to mitigate the potential adverse outcomes," Tadesse said in a statement.

Press Release

More Information

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Pharmacological Treatment of ADHD May Cut Some Forms of Criminality

WEDNESDAY, May 29, 2024 -- Pharmacological treatment may reduce some types of criminality among adolescents and young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)...

One in Nine U.S. Children Have Ever Been Diagnosed With ADHD

THURSDAY, May 23, 2024 -- Diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in U.S. children continue to increase, with approximately one in nine having ever received a...

Neurobehavioral Issues Increased in Children With Prenatal Fluoride Exposure

TUESDAY, May 21, 2024 -- Prenatal fluoride exposure is associated with increased neurobehavioral problems, according to a study published online May 20 in JAMA Network...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.