Intestinal Barrier Alterations in Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorders and in Their First-degree Relatives

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Alterations of the Intestinal Barrier in Patients With Autism Spectrum

Disorders and in Their First-degree Relatives.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20683204>

de Magistris L et al.

J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2010 Jul 28.

OBJECTIVES:: Intestinal permeability (IPT) was investigated in patients

with autism as well as in their first-degree relatives to investigate

leaky gut hypothesis. Faecal calprotectin (FC) was also measured in

patients with autism, either with or without gastrointestinal symptoms,

and in their first-degree relatives. PATIENTS AND METHODS:: IPT results,

assessed by means of the lactulose/mannitol test, were compared with

adult and child controls and with FC values. RESULTS:: A high percentage

of abnormal IPT values were found among patients with autism (36.7%) and

their relatives (21.2%) compared with normal subjects (4.8%). Patients

with autism on a reported gluten-casein-free diet had significantly

lower IPT values compared with those who were on an unrestricted diet

and controls. Gastrointestinal symptoms were present in 46.7% of

children with autism: constipation (45.5%), diarrhoea (34.1%), and

others (alternating diarrhoea/constipation, abdominal pain, etc: 15.9%).

FC was elevated in 24.4% of patients with autism and in 11.6% of their

relatives; it was not, however, correlated with abnormal IPT values.

CONCLUSIONS:: The results obtained support the leaky gut hypothesis and

indicate that measuring IPT could help to identify a subgroup of

patients with autism who could benefit from a gluten-free diet. The IPT

alterations found in first-degree relatives suggest the presence of an

intestinal (tight-junction linked) hereditary factor in the families of

subjects with autism.

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Inflammatory bowel disease in spouses and their offspring.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11231934>

Laharie D, Debeugny S, Peeters M et al.

Gastroenterology. 2001 Mar;120(4):816-9.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The rarity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in

both husband and wife is often given as an argument against an

infectious origin. We registered conjugal instances of IBD in Northern

France and in Belgium between 1989 and 2000. METHODS: Couples were

assigned to group A if both partners had symptoms of IBD before

cohabitation, to group B if one spouse had IBD before cohabitation and

the other experienced first symptoms afterwards, and to group C if both

partners got the disease after cohabitation. Risk of IBD was assessed in

their offspring. RESULTS: Thirty conjugal instances were registered.

Seventeen were concordant for Crohn's disease and 3 for ulcerative

colitis; 10 were mixed. Two belonged to group A, 6 to group B, and 22 to

group C. In group C, IBD occurred in the first affected spouse an

average of 9 years after cohabitation and in the second spouse an

average of 8.5 years later. Group C conjugal forms were more frequent

than expected by chance (P < 0.02). Fifty-four children were born to 25

couples; among them 9, of whom 4 were siblings, developed Crohn's

disease at a median age of 15 years. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of

conjugal forms of IBD suggests an etiologic role for environmental

factors. Offspring of 2 affected parents have a high risk of developing IBD.