title: Upper respiratory infection during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes among offspring.
abstract: Maternal infection during pregnancy is associated with psychiatric disorders among offspring. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between upper respiratory infection (URI) in pregnancy and measures of cognitive and behavioral outcomes in child offspring.
  
  
  
  A longitudinal study of 534 mother-child pairs with information regarding prenatal exposures collected through an interview conducted on average one year after delivery and subsequent participation in a childhood cognitive and psychosocial assessment between the ages 5-12years. Childhood cognition was measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III) and the Beery-Buktenica Test of Visual Motor Integration-Fifth Edition (VMI-5) and behavioral function measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and teacher-report using the Teacher Report Form (TRF). Adjusted mean differences (adjMD) in outcome measures were calculated between mothers reporting the presence or absence of a URI during pregnancy.
  
  
  
  URI during pregnancy was not associated with the two measures of cognition given to offspring, but was associated with modest increases in total behavioral problems reported by mothers (adjMD: 3.72; CI: 1.91-5.54) and teachers (adjMD: 2.74; CI: 0.97-4.50). We observed differences in CBCL and TRF scores based on timing of URI: infections in mid-pregnancy (lunar months 4-5) were associated with poorer scores than were infections in early pregnancy (lunar months 2-3).
  
  
  
  In general, URI in pregnancy was not associated with decrements in childhood cognition, but may be associated with behavior problems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, United States. Electronic address: separker@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Samantha E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, United States.
authors.forename: Virginia A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Lijewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, United States.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Janulewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, United States.
authors.forename: Brent R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Collett
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, United States.
authors.forename: Matthew L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Speltz
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, United States.
authors.forename: Martha M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Werler
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: CBCL; Infection; Offspring neurodevelopment; Pregnancy; TRF