Washington, Aug 24 (ANI): Children born to mother who suffered from extreme form of pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) were 3.6 times more likely to suffer from anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression in adulthood than individuals whose mothers did not have the condition, according to a new study.
The study was conducted jointly by UCLA and the University of Southern California.
HG is also behind hospitalisation of thousands of women each year.
"Even though hyperemesis gravidarum can be a form of starvation and dehydration in pregnancy, no studies prior to this have been done to determine the long-term effects it has on the exposed unborn child," said study co-author Marlena Fejzo, an assistant professor of hematology-oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The findings from the current study were based on surveys of women with HG who reported on the emotional and behavioural histories of their siblings.
Of the 150 respondents, 55 had mothers who also suffered from the condition, so their siblings were exposed to HG in utero; 95 had mothers who didn't experience HG, and thus their siblings were not exposed.
The researchers found that 16 percent of siblings from the exposed group had depression, compared with 3 percent from the non-exposed group; 8 percent from the exposed group were diagnosed with bipolar disorder, compared with 2 percent from the non-exposed group; and 7 percent from the exposed group suffered from anxiety in adulthood, compared with 2 percent from the non-exposed group.
The study was published in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. (ANI)
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