The Ministry of Health estimates that there are 800,000 people with autism spectrum disorders in Russia. Autistic people have problems understanding and building social relationships. Recently, scientists have found that food allergies and autism are related. Doctors published the results of their research in the English-language journal JAMA Network Open.
How are autism and food allergies related?
American researchers have found that there is a link between food allergies and autism. Allergic disorders in youth affect the development of autism spectrum disorders.
American experts also found in their study that 11.25% of American children have autism. It is possible that immunological disorders that occur in the first years of life affect the development of human social functions.
Although a possible link between food allergy and autism has been found, many questions remain unanswered.
Researchers analyzed the health information of about 200,000 children for scientific work.
Participants were 3 to 17 years old. Data was collected between 1997 and 2016 as part of the US National Public Health Survey.
Skin Allergy and Autism
The results of the study showed that children with autism spectrum disorders are significantly more likely to suffer from skin allergies.
Research has shown a link between immunological problems and autism spectrum disorders.
However, it remains unclear how these symptoms interact with each other. It is also not known that food allergy or, possibly, an autism spectrum disorder comes first.
Scientists intend to establish a causal relationship in further research.
Further research needed
The author of a prospective study explains that additional data are needed to determine the time relationship between these two states. The findings of researchers should be verified in larger scientific papers.
Earlier studies have already shown that allergic diseases are often associated with type 1 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers conclude: "if mothers suffer from allergies during pregnancy, it also contributes to autism."
Are self-esteem data unreliable?
The results of the study are based on self-esteem data, which do not provide sufficient grounds to draw reliable conclusions. In some cases, self-esteem of children with food allergies and autism can be worthless. An autistic child is often fussy and restless, so parents may not correctly evaluate his behavior.
It is difficult to distinguish between an allergic reaction and capricious behavior, which may be due to another factor.
Therefore, skeptics deny the existence of a connection and believe that researchers are wrong.
Study criticism
Experts say the allergy figures are too high. Baseline data refer only to information provided by interviewed parents. Christina Freitag of the Autism Research and Treatment Center is also skeptical of new data.
The method used is doubtful, the relationships found may just be a mistake. If autistic children suffered from gastrointestinal problems, this was probably the consequence rather than the cause. “Many children with autism spectrum disorders are very fussy,” the skeptic emphasizes.
What can help children?
The study still does not leave clear conclusions. Scientists believe it will be useful to diagnose allergies as early as possible.
It is difficult for some children with autism to say what problems or pain they experience. Therefore, a possible allergy can cause irritability and aggressive behavior.
Since there are no clear risk factors for autism, everything must be done to ensure that women survive a healthy pregnancy. Reducing the cost of antenatal care is a bad decision.
As a precaution, it is recommended to prevent serious infections of the expectant mother during pregnancy. This is possible with available vaccines, for example, against mumps, measles, rubella and flu.
