Autism: Etiology, Epidemiology, Pathology, Clinical Aspects and Treatment

Abstract

The autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occurs in one out of every 68 individuals and can affect any child regardless of sex, race or socioeconomic status. This study enrolled all patients with the diagnosis of ASD attended at our Unit of Gastroenterology, Food Allergy and Autism (UGAAA). All of these patients were investigated for food allergy (FA). The gastrointestinal tract, the upper and lower airway tract, the skin and the central nervous system of our patients with ASD where extensively studied regards of the epidemiology, pathology, clinical aspects and treatment. It is observed that autism often establishes itself as a disease in patients with adequate psychomotor development and without previous neurological conditions, but with FA preceding the neurological deficits. We hypothesized that FA is one of the foregoing factors in patients who develop ASD, if they suffer from inflammation of the central nervous system (CNS). This inflammatory injury may turn neurons the target organ or the FA homing site, once the brain-gut connection is established by different mechanisms. With those new data we were able to develope the concept of the etiology, pathology, clinical aspects and treatment of ASD.