Mothers prescribed at least one sterol biosynthesis-inhibiting medication — including certain antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, beta-blockers and statins — had a 1.47-fold higher risk of having a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to a study published April 16 in Molecular Psychiatry.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha found an association between prenatal prescription of medications that inhibit the cholesterol synthesis pathway and increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in children.
The study analyzed 6.14 million maternal-child health records from the Epic Cosmos database, which represents nearly one-third of U.S. births between 2014 and 2023. Researchers grouped medication by shared effects on sterol biosynthesis rather than by clinician indication.
Here are four things to know:
- Risk increased with additional medications, with a 1.33 times increased risk for each co-prescribed drug and a 2.33-fold risk when four or more were prescribed simultaneously.
- Among 234,971 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the cohort, 15% had prenatal exposure to these medications.
- Use of the medications during pregnancy rose from 4.6% of pregnancies in 2014 to 16.8% in 2023, and they account for more than 400 million annual prescriptions in the U.S.
- Researchers cited several limitations, including lack of data on dosage and duration, potential influence of genetic, environmental and socioeconomic factors, and no independent confirmation of autism diagnoses; the study does not establish a “safe” dose and cautions against overinterpreting findings. The researchers also said “no pregnant patient should discontinue or alter medication without medical supervision.”
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