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Autism and a link to gastrointestinal problems[return to Sound Medicine home] A small study of 36 pediatric patients at the University of Maryland showed commonly reported gastrointestinal problems included chronic diarrhea, gaseousness, abdominal discomfort and distention. A larger study of 500 pediatric patients at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital reported more than half of the patients had gastrointestinal problems including esophagitis, gastritis and enterocolitis. But a cause and effect relationship has yet to be proven. Some researchers have hypothesized that children are predisposed to autism and that the condition is triggered by some factor, such as certain foods or bacteria. An antigen or bacteria penetrates the intestine or bowel wall, they postulate, causing an autoimmune response, which then affects central nervous system elements including the brain. Others have hypothesized that the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine is responsible for bowel problems, which in turn leads to decreased absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients, causing a developmental disorder. Extensive publicity a few years ago hailed the digestive hormone secretin as a possible cure for autism when some patients showed improvement in behavior and communication after being given injections. One study later disproved the theory, but other research of secretin continues. The improvements realized by patients might be attributed to the relief of gastrointestinal discomfort by secretin, therefore resulting in improved behavior and communication.
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