Study links anesthesia to learning disabilities in children

A Mayo Clinic study has found children who require multiple surgeries under anesthesia in the first three years of life are at a higher risk of developing learning disabilities later, according to a news release from the clinic.

Researchers point out that the connection doesn't mean that anesthesia is the cause. "The problem is that anyone who underwent anesthetic also had surgery," said lead researcher Dr. Robert Wilder, a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist, in the news release. "It's unclear whether it's the anesthetic, the physiological stress of surgery or perhaps the medical problems that made surgery necessary that are responsible for the learning disabilities.

Several studies have found links between anesthetics and abnormalities in the brains of young animals, but this was the first to suggest a link in humans. The study is published in the current issue of "Anesthesiology."

For more on this study, visit Pikes Peak Health.