Figure 2.

Risk factors associated with ASD: ASD is a multifactorial condition characterized by genetic and environmental factors, including prenatal and postnatal factors that increase the risk of disease. Among the main factors, genetic predisposition, parents’ age, and exposures during pregnancy to air pollutants have been associated with poor cognitive outcomes in the perinatal age. Moreover, delivery complications or postpartum haemorrhage might also increase the risk of ASD. All these factors, globally constituting the exposome, may contribute to ASD, hence hampering the search for single biomarkers of the disease.