Children who were infected in the womb with a rare group of infections known as TORCH were about three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism, according to a Swedish study of 3.7 million people published Sept. 21 in JAMA Pediatrics. They were also more than seven times more likely to receive an intellectual disability diagnosis. The researchers, from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, stress that these infections are uncommon and explain only a tiny share of autism cases.
Of 3.7 million people born in Sweden between 1987 and 2021, only 975 had a diagnosed congenital TORCH infection. The finding matters most for a small group of families, not for most pregnancies, and the study shows an association, not proof that the infections directly cause autism.
