Children born to mothers who suffer from flu during pregnancy face a four times increased risk of developing a serious depressive disorder, researchers reported last night.
Other studies have linked flu in pregnancy to the development of schizophrenia.
The findings will increase the pressure for pregnant women to have flu vaccination – which was introduced after the swine flu outbreak.
The latest findings, from the USA, come from a study of some 92 people in California who developed bipolar disorder – which causes sudden and severe mood swings.
They were compared with another 722 people of the same age – the early 50s and late 40s – and researchers analysed the proportion of mothers diagnosed with flu during pregnancy.
The findings were reported in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. The same researchers have previously found a three times increased risk of people developing schizophrenia after their mothers suffered flu in pregnancy.
Researcher Dr Alan Brown, of Columbia University, New York, said: “Prospective mothers should take common sense preventive measures, such as getting flu shots prior to and in the early stages of pregnancy and avoiding contact with people who are symptomatic.
“In spite of public health recommendations, only a relatively small fraction of such women get immunised. The weight of evidence now suggests that benefits of the vaccine likely outweigh any possible risk to the mother or newborn.”
Gestational Influenza and bipolar Disorder in Adult Offspring. JAMA Psychiatry 8 May 2013
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