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Iron and vitamin D levels among autism spectrum disorders children
Abdulbari Bener1, Azhar O Khattab2, Dinesh Bhugra3
1Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Evidence for Population Health Unit, School of Epidemiology and Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, England, UK.
Insights
Children with autism show higher rates of iron deficiency anemia and Vitamin D deficiency. These deficiencies, along with other factors like parental consanguinity, are significant predictors of autism spectrum disorders.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
- Nutritional deficiencies, including iron and Vitamin D, are increasingly recognized as potential factors in ASD.
- Understanding these deficiencies and their associated risk factors is crucial for early intervention and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia and Vitamin D deficiency in children diagnosed with autism.
- To identify and assess the significance of risk factors associated with these deficiencies in the context of autism.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study was conducted with 308 children diagnosed with autism and 308 age-matched controls.
- Diagnosis of autism was confirmed using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic.
- Blood samples were analyzed for iron, Vitamin D, hemoglobin, ferritin, and other biochemical markers.
Main Results:
- Autistic children exhibited significantly lower serum iron levels compared to controls (P = 0.003).
- Vitamin D deficiency was more prevalent in autistic children (P = 0.004).
- Lower levels of hemoglobin, ferritin, and other key biochemical markers were observed in autistic children. Multivariate analysis identified iron deficiency, Vitamin D deficiency, calcium levels, ferritin, reduced physical activity, child order, BMI percentiles, and parental consanguinity as significant predictors of ASD.
Conclusions:
- Iron deficiency, Vitamin D deficiency, and anemia are more common in children with autism.
- Several nutritional and environmental factors are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorders, highlighting potential targets for intervention.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to investigate iron deficiency anemia and Vitamin D deficiency among autism children and to assess the importance of risk factors (determinants).
Subjects And Methods:
This was a case-control study conducted among children suffering from autism at the Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar. A total of 308 cases and equal number of controls were enrolled. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic was the instrument used for diagnosis of Autism.
Results:
The mean age (±standard deviation, in years) for autistic versus control children was 5.39 ± 1.66 versus 5.62 ± 1.81, respectively. The mean value of serum iron levels in autistic children was severely reduced and significantly lower than in control children (74.13 ± 21.61 μg/dL with a median 74 in autistic children 87.59 ± 23.36 μg/dL in controls) (P = 0.003). Similarly, the study revealed that Vitamin D deficiency was considerably more common among autistic children (18.79 ± 8.35 ng/mL) as compared to healthy children (22.18 ± 9.00 ng/mL) (P = 0.004). Finally, mean values of hemoglobin, ferritin, magnesium; potassium, calcium; phosphorous; glucose, alkaline phosphate, hematocrit, white blood cell, and mean corpuscular volume were all statistically significantly higher in healthy control children as compared to autistic children (P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that serum iron deficiency, serum calcium levels, serum Vitamin D levels; ferritin, reduced physical activity; child order, body mass index percentiles, and parental consanguinity can all be considered strong predictors and major factors associated with autism spectrum disorders.
Conclusion:
This study suggests that deficiency of iron and Vitamin D as well as anemia were more common in autistic compared to control children.
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