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Published on: October 3, 2018
Vitamin D status is primarily associated with core symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder: A multicenter
Xiujie Qi1, Ting Yang1, Jie Chen1
1Chongqing Key Laboratory of Childhood Nutrition and Health, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China.
Insights
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have lower vitamin D levels, linked to more severe core symptoms. Lower vitamin D status correlates with worse autistic symptomatology, suggesting a potential role for vitamin D in ASD management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Nutritional Neuroscience
- Developmental Disorders
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
- Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly recognized as a potential factor influencing neurodevelopment.
- The relationship between vitamin D status and ASD core symptoms requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between serum 25(OH)D levels and core symptoms in children with ASD.
- To compare vitamin D status between children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children.
- To explore the link between vitamin D levels and neurodevelopmental outcomes in ASD.
Main Methods:
- A multicenter survey involving 1321 children with ASD and 1279 TD children aged 2-7 years in China.
- Assessment of ASD symptoms using the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS).
- Evaluation of neurodevelopmental levels with the Children Neuropsychological and Behavior Scale-Revision 2016 (CNBS-R2016).
Main Results:
- Children with ASD exhibited significantly lower serum 25(OH)D levels compared to TD children.
- Lower serum 25(OH)D levels were negatively correlated with CARS and CNBS-R2016 communication warning scores.
- Children in lower quartiles of vitamin D levels showed higher scores in SRS social communication and/or CARS and CNBS-R2016 communication warning behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Serum 25(OH)D levels are primarily associated with core symptoms in children with ASD.
- Lower vitamin D status in children with ASD correlates with more severe autistic symptomatology.
- Further research is warranted to determine the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation as a therapeutic intervention for ASD.
Objective:
We aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D status and core symptoms and neurodevelopmental levels in children with ASD with a multicenter survey.
Methods:
We enrolled 1321 ASD children and 1279 typically developing (TD) children aged 2-7 years from 13 cities in China. ASD symptoms were assessed with the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), and neurodevelopmental levels were evaluated with the Children Neuropsychological and Behavior Scale-Revision 2016 (CNBS-R2016).
Results:
Children with ASD had lower serum 25(OH)D levels than TD children. Serum 25(OH)D levels were negatively associated with CARS and communication warning behavior of CNBS-R2016 scores, and were not associated with the development quotients of ASD children. ASD Children were grouped based on the quartiles for 25(OH)D levels in the controls, and children in the first to third quartiles had higher SRS social communication and/or CARS and communication warning behavior of CNBS-R2016 scores than those in the fourth quartile.
Conclusions:
Serum 25(OH)D levels were primarily associated with core symptoms in children with ASD, and individuals with relatively lower 25(OH)D levels displayed worse autistic symptomatology. More research is needed to determine whether vitamin D supplements would be a useful treatment for ASD.
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