The comparison of intelligence levels of children born to kidney or liver transplant women with children of healthy mothers

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy after transplantation is associated with high risk of complications and prenatal exposure to immunosuppressants. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the intellectual development of children born to women after organ transplantation.

Aims: A comparison of intelligence levels in 78 children of kidney or liver transplant women of 78 children born to healthy mothers. The assessment of intellectual level in children was conducted by psychologists and evaluated using age-adjusted intelligence tests (Psyche Cattell Infant Intelligence Scale, Terman–Merril Intelligence Scale or the Scales of Raven’s Progressive Matrices).

Results: No significant differences in the distribution of the quotient of intelligence between children born to kidney and liver transplant women were noted (Chi² = 5.037; p = .284). Also no differences in the distribution of intelligence levels were noted between the children of transplanted and healthy mothers in infants and toddlers (Chi² = 3.125; p = .537); preschool (Chi² = 1.440; p = .692), and school age children (Chi² = 4.079; p = .395).

Conclusions: The intellectual development of children of post-transplant women is similar to the general population. These results provide information on the low risk of intellectual disability in children of transplanted mothers and may improve counseling on the planning of pregnancy in this group of women.

Keywords:

• Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scale
• mental development
• transplantation

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank our colleagues from transplant team who provided expertise in multidisciplinary care of our post-transplant pregnant women.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education Grant [No. N407 534938/10].