Gastrointestinal and behavioural symptoms in autism improved after stool transplants that can alter bacteria in the gut, according to a new study.
In their review study, Chinese researchers Youran Li, Yizhong Wang and Ting Zhang say children with autism “often have obvious gastrointestinal symptoms”.
Professor James Adams said his FMT study saw 44 per cent of children lose their autism diagnoses
They looked at faecal microbiota, or stool transplantation (FMT). Medics carry out this procedure by processing and screening donor stools before introducing them into another person’s intestines.
Treatment ‘effective’
The researchers, based at Shanghai Children’s Hospital, say the treatment is “effective in improving gastrointestinal and neurobehavioral symptoms in children with ASD” (autism spectrum disorder).
But they acknowledge that “more well-designed human studies are needed to confirm the effect”.
The researchers say the gut and brain communicate through a complex network, sending signals between the two.
‘Promising area’
In a statement, biomedical charity Treating Autism said it hoped further research “in this promising area will lead to treatments which will help improve quality of life for people with autism”.
The review assessed previous research on FMT and autism, including a study by Arizona State University.
There, Professor James Adams led research that saw eight of the 18 children (44 per cent) who were involved lose their autism diagnoses.
Adams said though there may have been some placebo effect, “most of the effect is real”.
‘Increasingly recognised as safe’
Dr Paul Whiteley is a director at ESPA Research. The non-profit organisation aims to improve the quality of life of people on the autism spectrum by publishing high-quality scientific research.
Dr Whiteley said: “Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is increasingly recognised as a safe and effective intervention for many different conditions with a gastrointestinal element to them.
“Where gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms or conditions are comorbid to a diagnosis of autism, as they often can be, every effort should be made to investigate the reasons for such GI issues and effective interventions implemented to ensure that health inequalities are reduced for those with autism.”
Safety concerns
Concerns were raised over the safety of the treatment in 2019, when a 73-year-old man with a rare blood condition died during a clinical trial at Massachusetts General Hospital.
One other person suffered serious side effects but recovered.
Tests later revealed the donor stool contained a rare type of E. coli.
The review study appeared in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment online on 15 December.
Related:
- Patient dies after faecal transplant
- Could faecal transplants help adults?
- Study finds faecal transplants effective
- Bowel disease far more common in autism
- Study seeks proof of gut link to autism
- Stress ‘likely cause of gut issues’
- Evidence grows for autism link to gut
Published: 3 January 2023
