VIDEO: Autism Rates Double, Babies Born Today in Developed World Will Have Longer Healthier Lives, Overweight Pregnant Women Put Unborn Child At Risk For Heart Defect

05.10.2009 | 1:46 min

(October 5, 2009 - Insidermedicine) From Washington - Autism diagnosis rates in the US have doubled in the last 2 years, according to a report published in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers surveyed 78, 000 parents, asking whether or not their children had ever been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Results showed that 1 in 91 parents said yes-- a 50% increase in the last two years. Researchers suggest that these numbers may, however, merely represent better detection of the condition. From Denmark - According to a report published in The Lancet, babies born today in developed countries will live longer, healthier lives than ever before. Researchers reviewed data from over 30 developed countries. In these countries, results showed that the likelihood of living past 80 has doubled in the past 60 years, and that more than 50% of babies born today will live to 100 years old.  And finally, from Atlanta - Children of obese women may be at increased risk of heart defects, according to a report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  Researchers analyzed over 12, 000 infants--over half of whom had congenital heart defects. They found that women who were overweight at the onset of pregnancy were 18% more likely to have a child born with a heart defect, while women who were severely obese had a 30% increased risk.
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