Autism research has come a long way, but not all of the research seems to be widely known. I recently read this great article on Immune Disorders and Autism. It states these little known facts that research has found:
- Autism can be linked to pregnancy
- In 1/3 of cases, it is linked to Immune Dysregulation
- If a mother in the first trimester gets hospitalized for a viral infection, it can triple the odds
- If a mother gets a bacterial infection in the second trimester, it can increase the odds by 40%
- Inflammatory diseases in general have increased significantly in the past 60 years- As a group, they include asthma, now estimated to affect 1 in 10 children (at least double the prevalence of 1980) and autoimmune disorders, which afflict 1 in 20
- A mother’s rheumatoid arthritis can elevate a child’s risk of autism by 80 percent
- A mother’s Celiac disease increased the odds of autism 350 percent
- Mothers of autistic children often have unique antibodies that bind to fetal brain proteins
- A mother’s diagnosis of asthma or allergies during the second trimester of pregnancy increases her child’s risk of autism. So does metabolic syndrome, a disorder associated with insulin resistance, obesity and, crucially,low-grade inflammation. The theme here is maternal immune dysregulation
- In population rife with parasites and acute infections, autism can be nearly nonexistent. Explaining why it seems to be growing in our civilized society
- Asthma and Autism are more common in urban areas than rural; firstborns seem to be at greater risk; they disproportionately afflict young boys
- Probiotics might help
- More Research needs to be done
- Please read the full article for more information
Related Articles to ‘Autism Research: Finding the Cause’
Autism and Obesity: the Links in Pregnancy