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Therapeutic Impacts of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Risperidone on Children with Autism: A Clinical Trial
Asmaa S Mohamed1, Hosam M Ahmad2, Ahmed A Abdelrahman3
1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Deraya University, Minia, Egypt.
Insights
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and risperidone both effectively treat core autism symptoms in children. HBOT demonstrated superior results compared to risperidone in this randomized clinical trial.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) core symptoms present significant challenges.
- Long-term medication for ASD can cause side effects and compliance issues.
- Alternative therapies like hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) are being explored for ASD treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of HBOT and risperidone on core autism symptoms in children.
- To compare the efficacy of HBOT versus risperidone in treating ASD.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, controlled clinical trial involving 180 children (aged 5-8) with ASD.
- Three groups received: 40 HBOT sessions, risperidone (0.25-0.5 mg/day), or placebo for 6 months.
- Assessments used the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) at baseline and one year.
Main Results:
- All groups showed significant improvement in CARS and ATEC scores after one year.
- Group 1 (HBOT) and Group 2 (risperidone) showed greater improvements than the control group (Group 3).
- HBOT yielded the most significant improvements in core autism symptoms compared to risperidone and placebo.
Conclusions:
- Both HBOT and risperidone are effective non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments for core ASD symptoms.
- HBOT offers a promising alternative or adjunct therapy, showing better outcomes than risperidone.
- Further research into non-traditional treatments like HBOT for ASD is warranted.
Introduction:
In this research, we investigated any possible effect of receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) or risperidone on the core symptoms of autism in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods:
This study was a randomized, controlled clinical trial in Minia and Assiut University hospitals in Egypt with three parallel groups. One hundred and eighty children with autism, aged 5-8 years were divided into three equal groups (n=60). Group 1 (G1) received 40 sessions of HBOT within two months, group 2 (G2) received risperidone (dose: 0.25 mg per day in children weighing less than 20 kg and 0.5 mg per day in cases weighing more) for six months, and group 3 (G3) as the control group, received a placebo for six months. The assessment was done using childhood autism rating scale (CARS) and autism treatment evaluation checklist (ATEC) at the beginning of the study (baseline) and after one year.
Results:
The mean total CARS and ATEC scores significantly decreased (improved) by varying degrees in the three groups after a year of follow-up compared to the baseline scores, but the best results were found in G1, G2, and G3, respectively.
Conclusion:
Using HBOT or risperidone is effective in treating the core symptoms of autism in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, but using HBOT gives better results than risperidone therapy.
Highlights:
Non-pharmacologic therapy can be used for the treatment of the core symptoms of autism.Both hyperbaric oxygen therapy and risperidone reduce the core symptoms of autism.Hyperbaric oxygen therapy gives better effects than risperidone in reducing the core symptoms of autism.
Plain Language Summary:
Since the long-term use of drug therapy in children with autism leads to the occurrence of side effects in addition to the difficulty in complying with the drugs for long-term use, efforts have begun to use non-traditional alternative treatments, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The current study assessed the therapeutic effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and risperidone on the core symptoms of autism. The results revealed that both hyperbaric oxygen therapy and risperidone reduced the core symptoms of autism, but hyperbaric oxygen therapy gave better therapeutic results than risperidone.
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