Serological screening for Celiac Disease in 382 pre-schoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

BackgroundRecent investigations suggest a possible common genetic background between Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Celiac Disease (CD). However, studies regarding this association are scarce and often limited by the small sample sizes and/or large heterogeneity among ASD groups in terms of demographic and clinical features. The present study aims to investigate the overall CD prevalence (biopsy proven-CD patients plus screening detected tTG and EMA positive cases) in a large population of pre-schoolers with ASD referred to a tertiary care University Hospital.MethodsWe retrospectively collected data about 382 children (mean age: 46.97 ± 13.55 months; age-range: 18-72 months) consecutively diagnosed as ASD (according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition criteria) over the period 2010–2013, and who performed a serological CD screening.ResultsThe overall CD prevalence was 2.62%, which is statistically significant higher to that reported in the Italian paediatric population (p = 0.0246). Half of these children had no symptoms or risk factors related to CD when they performed the serological screening.ConclusionsIf replicated, these data suggest the importance of regular screening for CD in young patients with ASD, and are of relevance for clinical and public health.

Psychiatric Manifestations of Coeliac Disease, a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Of the 767 ASD participants, ten were found to have CD making the pooled prevalence of CD in ASD 1.3%. All of these individuals came from the same study, which is the only one that confirmed significant findings [31]. In addition to this, Juncia et al (2018) noted GI symptoms in 34% of a pediatric ASD sample.…”

“…ASD literature consisted of nine articles in total and comprised of 39,207 participants [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39]. Only one found statistically significant findings, therefore only one concluded the need for routine CD screening within the ASD population [31]. This included 38,440 participants with a diagnosis of CD.…”

“…In addition to this, Juncia et al (2018) noted GI symptoms in 34% of a pediatric ASD sample. Józefczuk et al (2018) found no difference between the presence of CD-specific antibodies in ASD patients and controls, or any deficits in intestinal Investigation into the prevalence of CD in patients with ASD was done by three cross sectional studies [33,38,39] and two case-controlled studies [31,37]. Of the 767 ASD participants, ten were found to have CD making the pooled prevalence of CD in ASD 1.3%.…”

“…Firstly, several studies had small sample sizes [35][36][37][38][39][40][41]47]. This is especially important due to the heterogeneity of ASD, and therefore there is a particular need for large sample sizes [31]. However not all of the studies suffered from this limitation, Butwicka et al (2017) and Ludvigsson et al (2013) consisted of very large sample sizes, and therefore results held statistical power.…”

Maternal antibodies to gliadin and autism spectrum disorders in offspring - A population-based case-control study in Sweden

“…However, studies have been inconsistent. While some studies report increased CD prevalence among individuals with ASD (8), other studies find no such associations (9)(10)(11).…”