A new study finds an increased risk of autism for children with a family history of certain autoimmune diseases. Researchers studying children born in Denmark found that those with mothers who had celiac disease were far more likely to be diagnosed with autism.

Researchers studied registries of children born in Denmark over a ten year period.

Children with mothers who had celiac disease, a digestive disease where people cannot tolerate gluten, were nearly three times as likely to be diagnosed with autism.

A family history of juvenile diabetes was also associated with a higher risk of autism - the risk doubled for children whose mothers had this form of diabetes.

And children with mothers who had rheumatoid arthritis were also at a 70 per cent increased risk for autism.

This suggests that the pre-natal environment may be affected by certain maternal autoimmune diseases.

But the researchers found no general association between autoimmune diseases and autism disorders.

For instance, no association was found between other autoimmune diseases such as ulcerative colitis, a digestive disorder, or psoriasis.

Source: published in Pediatrics by researchers from Denmark and Johns Hopkins University