Children with Autism More Likely to Suffer from Digestive Problems

Rebecca Lewis November 11, 2013

They are more than anecdotal evidences. New research from the University of California-Davis’ MIND Institute found that children with autism are 6 to 8 times more likely to suffer from gastrointestinal problems than typically developing children.

This is the largest and most ethnically diverse study to compare digestive problems in autistic children with developmental delay and typical development. It is also the first to examine the link between behavioural problems and digestive disorders.

The study involved nearly 1,000 children between the ages of 24 months and 60 months, who were enrolled in the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) study in North Carolina. Participants were asked to complete two questionnaires, one assessing the rates of digestive disorder like stomach pain, diarrhoea, constipation and problems with swallowing, and the other assessing symptoms of behavioural problems like irritability, social withdrawal/lethargy, repetitive behaviour, hyperactivity and inappropriate speech.

Nearly half of the participants were white, with one-third Hispanic and the remainder from other ethnic or racial backgrounds.

Results showed that children with autism were 6 to 8 times more likely to experience food sensitivity, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation than typically developing children. Also, children with developmental delays were five times more likely to have constipation and were much more likely to have problems swallowing.

“After years of parents raising concerns about such symptoms, the huge differences we see between parental reports on children with autism spectrum disorder versus those on children with typical development puts to rest the idea that gastrointestinal problems among children with autism spectrum disorder are just an accumulation of case reports,” lead author Irva Hertz-Picciotto said.

However, the team is unsure which comes first between autism and digestive problems. “The GI problems they experience may be bidirectional. GI problems may create behaviour problems, and those behaviour problems may create or exacerbate GI problems. One way to try to tease this out would be to begin investigating the effects of various treatments and their effects on both GI symptoms and problem behaviours,” said Chaldez.” Hertz-Picciotto explained.

The researchers pointed out that hyperactivity and repetitive behaviour may simply be a result of physical discomfort, and therefore recommend giving a full GI evaluation to children with autism, especially those with verbal problems.

Source of this article:

Autism Linked to Digestive Problems