Possible immunological disorders in autism: concomitant autoimmunity and immune tolerance
Author: Kawashti MI, Amin OR, Rowehy NG
Source:
The Egyptian journal of immunology, 13(1), 99.
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that affect children early in their
life. Immunological disorders is one of several contributing factors that have
been suggested to cause autism. Thirty autistic children aged 3-6 years and
thirty non-autistic psychologically-free siblings were studied. Circulating IgA
and IgG autoantibodies to casein and gluten dietary proteins were detected by
enzyme-immunoassays (EIA). Circulating IgG antibodies to measles, mumps and
rubella vaccine (M.M.R) and cytomeglovirus were investigated by EIResults
revealed high seropositivity for autoantibodies to casein and gluten: 83.3% and
50% respectively in autistic children as compared to 10% and 6.7% positivity in
the control group. Surprisingly, circulating anti-measles, anti-mumps and
anti-rubella IgG were positive in only 50%, 73.3% and 53.3% respectively as
compared to 100% positivity in the control group. Anti-CMV IgG was positive in
43.3% of the autistic children as compared to 7% in the control group. It is
concluded that, autoimmune response to dietary proteins and deficient immune
response to measles, mumps and rubella vaccine antigens might be associated with
autism, as a leading cause or a resulting event. Further research is needed to
confirm these findings