Table 1 Characteristics of mothers and children in study population, by fever exposure status and diagnosis

From: Prenatal fever and autism risk

Subject characteristics

All subjects (N=95754)

Any fever (N=15701)

No fever (N=80053)

ASD (N=583)

Non-case (N=95171)

P-valuea

Parental characteristics

 Maternal age (years), N (%)

     

<0.0001

<20

971 (1.0)

180 (1.1)

791 (1.0)

10 (1.7)

961 (1.0)

 

20−24

9691 (10.1)

1605 (10.2)

8086 (10.1)

94 (16.1)

9597 (10.1)

 

25−29

31 597 (33.0)

5174 (33.0)

26 423 (33.0)

191 (32.8)

31 406 (33.0)

 

30−34

36 893 (38.5)

6090 (38.8)

30 803 (38.5)

188 (32.2)

36 705 (38.6)

 

35−39

14 701 (15.4)

2356 (15.0)

12345 (15.4)

91 (15.6)

14 610 (15.4)

 

40

1901 (2.0)

296 (1.9)

1605 (2.0)

9 (1.5)

1892 (2.0)

 

 Parental education, N (%)

     

<0.0001

<12 years

3261 (3.4)

444 (2.8)

2817 (3.5)

41 (7.0)

3220 (3.4)

 

12 years

21 862 (22.8)

3325 (21.2)

18 537 (23.2)

171 (29.3)

21 691 (22.8)

 

13−16 years

36 168 (37.8)

5964 (38.0)

30 204 (37.7)

203 (34.8)

35 965 (37.8)

 

17 years

33 033 (34.5)

5737 (36.5)

27 266 (34.1)

160 (27.4)

32 843 (34.5)

 

Missingb

1460 (1.5)

231 (1.5)

1229 (1.5)

8 (1.4)

1452 (1.5)

 

 Maternal smoking, N (%)

     

<0.0001

Yes

8965 (9.4)

1490 (9.5)

7 475 (9.3)

89 (15.3)

8876 (9.3)

 

No

68 929 (72.0)

11 843 (75.4)

57 086 (71.3)

385 (66.0)

68 544 (72.0)

 

Missingb

17 860 (18.7)

2368 (15.1)

15 492 (19.4)

109 (18.7)

17 751 (18.7)

 

 Parity, N (%)

     

<0.0001

0

42 412 (44.3)

6377 (40.6)

36 035 (45.0)

319 (54.7)

42 093 (44.2)

 

1

53 342 (55.7)

9324 (59.4)

44 018 (55.0)

264 (45.3)

53 078 (55.8)

 

 Mode of delivery, N (%)

     

0.065

Spontaneous

77 472 (80.9)

12 604 (80.3)

64 868 (81.0)

450 (77.2)

77 022 (80.9)

 

Induced

12 339 (12.9)

2085 (13.3)

10 254 (12.8)

92 (15.8)

12 247 (12.9)

 

Cesarean section

5943 (6.2)

1012 (6.4)

4931 (6.2)

41 (7.0)

5902 (6.2)

 

Child characteristics

 Sex, N (%)

     

<0.0001

Male

49 197 (51.4)

8030 (51.1)

41 167 (51.4)

487 (83.5)

48 710 (51.2)

 

Female

46 557 (48.6)

7671 (48.9)

38 886 (48.6)

96 (16.5)

46 461 (48.8)

 

 Gestational age, N (%)

     

0.002

32−36 weeks

2552 (2.7)

431 (2.7)

2121 (2.6)

23 (3.9)

2529 (2.7)

 

37−38 weeks

15 301 (16.0)

2602 (16.6)

12 699 (15.9)

98 (16.8)

15 203 (16.0)

 

39−41 weeks

70 202 (73.3)

11 420 (72.7)

58 782 (73.4)

395 (67.8)

69 807 (73.3)

 

42 weeks

7 699 (8.0)

1248 (7.9)

6451 (8.1)

67 (11.5)

7632 (8.0)

 

 Birth weight (g), mean (s.d.)

     

0.009

2500−2999

8 378 (8.7)

1323 (8.4)

7055 (8.8)

68 (11.7)

8310 (8.7)

 

3000−3499

28 519 (29.8)

4703 (30.0)

23 816 (29.8)

155 (26.6)

28 364 (29.8)

 

3500−3999

36 779 (38.4)

6025 (38.4)

30 754 (38.4)

205 (35.2)

36 574 (38.4)

 

4000−4499

17 648 (18.4)

2935 (18.7)

14 713 (18.4)

119 (20.4)

17 529 (18.4)

 

4500

4430 (4.6)

715 (4.6)

3715 (4.6)

36 (6.2)

4394 (4.6)

 

 Birth year, N (%)

     

<0.0001

1999

35 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

35 (0.0)

1 (0.2)

34 (0.0)

 

2000

1859 (1.9)

261 (1.7)

1598 (2.0)

17 (2.9)

1842 (1.9)

 

2001

3670 (3.8)

597 (3.8)

3073 (3.8)

38 (6.5)

3632 (3.8)

 

2002

7713 (8.1)

1159 (7.4)

6554 (8.2)

87 (14.9)

7626 (8.0)

 

2003

11 220 (11.7)

1640 (10.4)

9580 (12.0)

110 (18.9)

11 110 (11.7)

 

2004

12 091 (12.6)

1992 (12.7)

10 099 (12.6)

83 (14.2)

12 008 (12.6)

 

2005

14 024 (14.6)

2373 (15.1)

11 651 (14.6)

86 (14.8)

13 938 (14.6)

 

2006

15 707 (16.4)

2509 (16.0)

13 198 (16.5)

60 (10.3)

15 647 (16.4)

 

2007

14 387 (15.0)

2654 (16.9)

11 733 (14.7)

53 (9.1)

14 334 (15.1)

 

2008

12 001 (12.5)

1958 (12.5)

10 043 (12.5)

41 (7.0)

11 960 (12.6)

 

2009

3047 (3.2)

558 (3.6)

2489 (3.1)

7 (1.2)

3040 (3.2)

 

 Birth month, N (%)

     

0.156

January

7979 (8.3)

1000 (6.4)

6979 (8.7)

48 (8.2)

7931 (8.3)

 

February

7661 (8.0)

1105 (7.0)

6556 (8.2)

51 (8.7)

7610 (8.0)

 

March

8610 (9.0)

1446 (9.2)

7164 (8.9)

52 (10.7)

8558 (9.0)

 

April

8642 (9.0)

1611 (10.3)

7031 (8.8)

62 (10.6)

8580 (9.0)

 

May

8567 (8.9)

1820 (11.6)

6747 (8.4)

47 (8.1)

8520 (9.0)

 

June

8024 (8.4)

1750 (11.1)

6274 (7.8)

43 (7.4)

7981 (8.4)

 

July

8800 (9.2)

1666 (10.6)

7134 (8.9)

39 (6.7)

8761 (9.2)

 

August

8386 (8.8)

1488 (9.5)

6898 (8.6)

37 (6.3)

8349 (8.8)

 

September

8037 (8.4)

1211 (7.7)

6826 (8.5)

53 (9.1)

7984 (8.4)

 

October

7700 (8.0)

980 (6.2)

6720 (8.4)

55 (9.4)

7645 (8.0)

 

November

6763 (7.1)

829 (5.3)

5934 (7.4)

40 (6.9)

6723 (7.1)

 

December

6585 (6.9)

795 (5.1)

5790 (7.2)

47 (8.1)

6538 (6.9)

 

 ASD, N (%)

583 (0.6)

113 (0.7)

470 (0.6)

   

 Non-case, N (%)

95 171 (99.4)

15 588 (99.3)

79 583 (99.4)

   
  1. Abbreviation: ASD, autism spectrum disorder.
  2. Key: g, grams.
  3. aP-values are those associated with χ2-tests comparing prevalence of each characteristic in the ASD and non-case groups.
  4. bMissing data imputed for subsequent analyses (Supplementary Methods).