Dialysable lymphocyte extract (DLyE) in infantile onset autism: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Immunology

Background:

• Infantile autism is a complex developmental disorder.
• Distinguishing between classical autism and pseudo-autism is clinically relevant.
• The efficacy of transfer factor (TF) in autism treatment requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the therapeutic effect of transfer factor (TF) on infantile autism.
• To compare treatment responses in classical autism versus pseudo-autism.
• To assess the durability of treatment effects after TF cessation.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 40 patients diagnosed with infantile autism (22 classical, 18 pseudo-autism) aged 6-15.
• Administration of transfer factor (TF) therapy to assess symptom severity score average (SSSA) changes.
• Monitoring of clinical characteristics and school mainstreaming post-treatment.
• Observation of patient outcomes after cessation of TF therapy.

Main Results:

• 21 out of 22 patients with classical autism showed improvement (≥2 points in SSSA) with TF treatment.
• 10 classical autism patients achieved normalized clinical characteristics and were mainstreamed.
• 4 out of 18 pseudo-autism patients responded to TF, with some responding to other therapies.
• Post-cessation, 5 classical and 3 pseudo-autism patients regressed but remained above baseline.

Conclusions:

• Transfer factor (TF) demonstrates significant efficacy in treating infantile autism, leading to symptom reduction and normalization.
• TF treatment offers potential benefits for both classical and pseudo-autism presentations.
• While some regression may occur after therapy cessation, sustained improvement is observed.