Two new studies use medical records from countries with nationalized health care to link autoimmune disease and obesity in parents to the likelihood of having a child with autism. The first study, published online in October in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, looked at 129,733 children born in hospitals in Nova Scotia, Canada, between 1990 […]
Young people with autism have more psychiatric and medical conditions than do their typical peers or those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study suggests1. The early onset of these problems suggests they do not stem solely from a lifetime of poor healthcare, says lead researcher Lisa Croen, director of the Autism Research Program […]
Some Chinese individuals with autism have rare mutations that may disrupt the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep, according to a study published 17 January in PLoS One1. The enzyme ASMT converts the chemical messenger serotonin to melatonin. A 2007 study found an association between some common variants in ASMT and autism2. The new study found […]
Nearly 9 out of 10 parents of children with autism have tried unproven alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, fish oil or special diets, to help their children overcome symptoms. This practice is most common among highly educated parents and those with children under 4 years of age. The findings, published 1 September in Research in Autism Spectrum […]
It’s been 15 years since researchers published an epidemiological study with results so striking they sparked worldwide changes in food fortification. The study of nearly 250,000 women in China found that prenatal supplementation with folic acid, an essential B vitamin, dramatically lowers the risk of the neurodevelopmental disorder spina bifida1. Now, researchers are revisiting that […]
Adults with autism may suffer from various health problems, ranging from psychiatric conditions to motor symptoms that resemble Parkinson’s disease, according to two studies presented Thursday at the 2014 International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta. Some of the conditions may stem from people with autism feeling like outsiders in society, says Lisa Croen, director of the Autism […]
Adults with autism are at an increased risk for diabetes, depression and a number of other health problems, according to a large survey of electronic health records published 24 April in Autism1. “The prevalence of co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions is very high in adults with autism in pretty much every category across the board,” says […]
Adults with autism are more likely than controls to have certain chronic health conditions, such as high cholesterol, but are less likely to treat these with prescription drugs, according to a study of 314individuals, published in September in the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities1. Although autism is generally diagnosed and described in children, […]
