London - Premature babies are five times more likely to suffer from autism, a study suggests.
Researchers say they have established a link between low birth weight and the condition.
And because medical advances mean the most underweight youngsters are more likely to survive, autism levels could increase.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found premature babies were five times more likely to have autism than those born at normal weights.
Autism experts from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing followed 862 youngsters over 21 years for the study. Lead author Jennifer Pinto-Martin said: “As survival of the smallest and most immature babies improves, impaired survivors represent an increasing public health challenge.
“Emerging studies suggest that low birth weight may be a risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).”
Previous studies have linked low birth weight to cognitive problems.
But the latest study, which followed infants born between September 1984 and July 1987, some weighing just a pound at birth, is the first to link it to autism.
Dr Pinto-Martin said: “Cognitive problems in these children may mask underlying autism.
“If there is suspicion of autism or a positive screening test for ASD, parents should seek an evaluation for an ASD.
“Early intervention improves long-term outcome and can help these children both at school and at home.”
She says future studies will look at possible links between brain haemorrhage, a complication of premature birth, and autism by examining scans taken of these children as newborns.
One in 100 Britons is estimated to be autistic. But just 20 years ago, scientists estimated that fewer than one in 1,000 people had the condition, indicating a dramatic increase.
The higher rates in recent years have been attributed to various causes, including improved diagnoses, as well as genetic and environmental factors.
In 2008, a study by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, found one in four babies born seven to 14 weeks prematurely could be at risk of developing autism. - Daily Mail