Congenital TORCH infections triple autism risk, study finds

A Karolinska Institutet study of 3.7 million people found that children with congenital TORCH infections were three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism and seven times more likely with intellectual disability. The infections are rare, accounting for only 0.034% of autism cases in Sweden.

• Data covered 3.7 million people born in Sweden between 1987 and 2021
• 975 people had a diagnosed congenital TORCH infection
• Autism risk was about 3x higher; intellectual disability over 7x
• Severe to profound intellectual disability risk rose up to 30-fold