Using data from the EPI–MERES registry, EPI–PHARE conducted a groundbreaking study that identified cases of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and analyzed their prenatal and perinatal risk factors among the 6.8 million children born in France between 2010 and 2018. Five major NDDs were studied: communication disorders, specific learning disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and intellectual disability (ID).

This study, made possible by the richness and comprehensiveness of the EPI–MERES registry, highlights the importance of early identification of at–risk children and advocates for the implementation of targeted screening and follow–up strategies.

Some key findings:

• 506,505 (7.5%) children, followed for a median of 9.6 years, were diagnosed with at least one neurodevelopmental disorder.
• Prevalence of different types of neurodevelopmental disorders: ASD 0.9% (64,797 children), ADHD 1.48% (101,102 children), ID 0.3% (20,664 children), communication disorders 4.0% (270,939 children), specific learning disorders 2.0% (136,627 children).
• Male gender, prematurity, low birth weight for gestational age, congenital malformations, maternal alcohol or tobacco use, and maternal obesity are common risk factors for NDS.
• Risk factors specific to certain NDS have also been identified, notably intellectual disability, for which extreme prematurity, low birth weight for gestational age, congenital malformations, neonatal hypoxia, and advanced parental age play a major role.

About the EPI-MERES Registry

The French National Mother-Child Registry (EPI-MERES), developed by EPI-PHARE using data from the SNDS, records all pregnancies that have occurred in France since 2010 and links them to the children born from those pregnancies, enabling the tracking of their development and health status from birth.

To date, EPI-MERES includes more than 14 million pregnancies and 10.7 million children (98% of births recorded by INSEE) followed up to 15 years after birth.

This registry is an indispensable tool for research in perinatal pharmacoepidemiology, and is among the most promising in the world due to its size and the wealth of information it contains.