Flu in pregnancy 'may raise bipolar risk for baby'

[Turborama]

Source: BBC

Flu during pregnancy may increase the risk of the unborn child developing bipolar disorder later in life, research suggests.

A study of 814 expectant women, published in JAMA Psychiatry, showed that infection made bipolar four times more likely.

=snip=

Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center identified a link between the condition, often diagnosed during late teens and twenties, and experiences in the womb.

In their study looking at people born in the early 1960s, bipolar disorder was nearly four times as common in people whose mothers caught flu during pregnancy.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22447160

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I have always thought it was hereditary, it has run through a few generations on my mother's side of the family.

Can it be both caused by flu during pregnancy and genes?

[BainsBane]

1. There is a genetic predisposition

but a stressor typically triggers onset of the illness. You might be interested in a semi-related article.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130507195646.htm

[joanbarnes]

2. This is to sell more flu vaccine, never mind the possible birth defects if vaccinated while pregnant