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Can antibiotics cure some cases of autism?
By A. Minocha MD
Intestinal bacteria provide numerous health benefits and disruption of this milieu has been associated with many diseases not just inside the gut but in rest of body as well. There is some evidence suggesting autism is associated with impaired gastrointestinal health especially alterations in gut bacteria.
Is It Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome?
In addition to the fact that some kids provide history of antibiotic use and diarrheal illness prior to onset of the disease, a subset of children develop normally initially before manifesting illness. The spores of the Clostridium bacteria have received special attention in this regard.
Evidence mostly consists of data points, the question is, is it reasonable to conclude that there is a link based on connecting these data points. Some say YES, critics say NO. The proponents frequently cite the following study as one of the pieces of evidence implicating alterations gut bacteria especially clostridia in the pathogenesis of autism.
Sandler and colleagues from the Rush Children’s Hospital at the Rush Medical College in Chicago Illinois performed a study on use of the antibiotic vancomycin patients with autism and published their findings in the study titled ,”Short-term benefit from oral vancomycin treatment of regressive-onset autism” in the Journal of Child Neurology.
Vancomycin is an antibiotic which when given by mouth is works only in the gut since it is not absorbed though the gut into the blood stream.
Hypothesis: Changes in the bacterial flora of the gut may promote increased growth of neurotoxin producing bacteria in the gut with potential to cause manifestations of autism.
Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
Study: Children with antecedent broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment followed by chronic diarrhea along a decline of previously acquired skills, and then frank manifestations of autism were included. 11 children with regressive-onset autism met the inclusion criteria and participated in the study.
Results: Analysis of multiple coded pre- and post-vancomycin assesments including paired videotapes scored by a clinical psychologist blinded to treatment revealed an improvement in 80% of the children. However, the improvement was short-lived and declined post-treatment.
Authors conclusions: While the investigators did not suggest vancomycin protocol used in the study as an effective therapeutic modality for autism, they concluded that the findings do implicate a possible gut bacteria-brain axis connection.
Dr. Minocha's comment: The literature on role of gut bacteria in autism is controversial and scientific community is divided into two camps. You make the call in consultation with your physician.
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