Children born to mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an increased risk of developing infections, allergies and other childhood illnesses by the age of 13.
So suggests research, which studied 1,038,375 children in Quebec between 2006 and 2020, including 7160 children whose mothers had PCOS.
The findings reveal that children whose mothers have PCOS were 32% more likely to be admitted to hospital than children of mothers without the condition. They were also more likely to be admitted for infectious diseases (31%) and allergy-related problems, such as asthma (47%).
The risk of hospitalisation was increased for problems relating to metabolism (up by 59%), the gut (72%), central nervous system (74%), and ears (34%).
It was also increased for respiratory problems, such as pneumonia (32%), and mental and behavioural problems (68%). However, there was no link with cancer, and there was little difference between boys and girls in the association of PCOS with hospitalisation.
Image credit | Shutterstock
