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Session: Seafood Access and Intake for Child Health and Development (Oral 20)

(OR20-01-24) Associations Between Mercury Exposure During Pregnancy and Lactation and Child Health and Development Outcomes: An Overview of Reviews

Monday, July 1, 2024
11:12 AM – 11:24 AM CT
Location:  W183
Objectives: The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on The Role of Seafood in Child Growth and Development was tasked with using systematic reviews to inform recommendations on seafood intake during pregnancy, lactation, childhood, and adolescence. The objective of this overview of reviews was to determine if timely, relevant, high-quality systematic reviews were available to inform the NASEM Committee’s recommendations on mercury exposure during pregnancy and lactation on child outcomes.

Methods: Systematic reviews were eligible if the included studies compared different levels of mercury exposure in pregnancy and lactation and subsequent outcomes in the child (0-19 years), including response biomarkers (e.g., gene expression), developmental domains, academic performance, neurological disorders (autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)), growth, failure to thrive, blood pressure and immune response. An electronic database search was conducted to identify studies published between Jan 2020 and Oct 2023 to ensure timeliness. PICO elements of the reviews were compared to the PICO elements of the NASEM research question to assess relevancy, and AMSTAR 2 was used to assess systematic review quality. AMSTAR 2 scores ≥50% were defined as moderate-high quality and scores < 50% as lower quality.

Results: 53 systematic reviews were identified. After dual screening and manual searching, 12 systematic reviews were included. Timely and relevant systematic reviews were identified for all outcomes except academic performance and failure to thrive. Multiple reviews were identified for ASD (n=5), developmental domains (n=3), and growth (n=3). Ten reviews were rated moderate-high quality, and two were lower quality.

Conclusions: Recent, relevant, and moderate-high quality systematic reviews comparing different levels of mercury exposure during pregnancy and lactation were identified for all childhood developmental outcomes except academic performance and failure to thrive. The results of this overview of reviews will inform the NASEM Committee’s recommendations without requiring de novo reviews.

Funding Sources: NASEM