More evidence seen of link between GI problems, ASD

A new large-scale study from China adds to evidence that intestinal problems may play a role in autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

In the study, Ting Yang and colleagues collected data from 1,222 children with ASD and 1,206 typically developing children from 13 cities in China. All of the children were between two and seven years of age.

The researchers evaluated the clinical symptoms of the children with ASD using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). They evaluated intestinal symptoms in both groups using the Gastrointestinal Severity Index (6-GSI).

The researchers report that rates of constipation, stool odor, and total intestinal symptoms were significantly higher in children with ASD than in controls. In addition, they say, “Autistic children presenting with intestinal comorbidity had significantly higher scores on the ABC, SRS, CARS, and multiple subscales than autistic children without intestinal symptoms, suggesting that intestinal comorbidity may exacerbate the core symptoms of ASD children.”

Citations

“Intestinal symptoms among children aged 2–7 years with autism spectrum disorder in 13 cities of China,” Ting Yang, Qian Zhang, Li Chen, Ying Dai, Fei-Yong Jia, Yan Hao, Ling Li, Jie Zhang, Li-Jie Wu, Xiao-Yan Ke, Ming-Ji Yi, Qi Hong, Jin-Jin Chen, Shuan-Feng Fang, Yi-Chao Wang, Qi Wang, Chun-Hua Jin, Jie Chen, and Ting-Yu Li, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, December 7, 2023 (online). Address: Ting-Yu Li, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Childhood Nutrition and Health, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Department of Child Health Care, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, China, [email protected].