Children with autism are much more likely to have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), new research suggests.
Scientists found children with autism were 67 per cent more likely than typically developing peers to have the condition.
Dr Cade Nylund: his research found children with autism were 67 per cent more likely than typically developing peers to have IBD. (Image courtesy of Uniformed Services University).
IBD has two major forms. One of these is Crohn’s disease, which causes an inflamed gut. The other is ulcerative colitis (UC), which results in swelling of the rectum or large bowel.
Researchers at the Uniformed Services University (USU) of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, carried out the study.
Military health records
They used military health records to gauge the prevalence of IBD in autism.
The study included cases of children with an autism diagnosis who were in the records between October 2000 and September 2013. They were between two and 18 years old. The researchers matched them for controls with typically developing children.
In all, the study took in up to 48,762 children with autism and 243,810 neurotypical peers.
Dr Cade Nylund was the study’s lead investigator.
The associate professor at USU said his research does not prove that IBD causes autism.
‘Environmental triggers’ for IBD and autism
In an email he wrote: “Both conditions likely stem from environmental triggers that among genetically predisposed individuals lead to the development of both diseases.”
Children with autism were more likely to get second-level treatments for IBD.
The finding suggests they had a more severe form of IBD that did not respond to the standard drugs first given.
However, the researchers also suggest that children may have rejected first-option treatments. This was because the children had to take them by mouth, while parents often found it difficult to get children with autism to swallow medicine.
The research appeared in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. It adds to a large body of research that points to a link between gut problems and autism.
Related:
- Study seeks proof of gut link to autism
- Stress ‘likely cause of gut issues’
- Evidence grows for autism link to gut
- Study reinforces role of gut health
- Study finds faecal transplants effective
Published: 22 January 2018
