Researchers from the Netherlands estimate that they will be able to find a cause of autism in more than a third of cases. Autism is not completely understood and it is believed that there are a variety of factors that cause it. It is a developmental disorder that affects the way a person communicates with others. It can include severe language and social behavioral weaknesses, developmental delays, and repetitive behaviors. This disorder affects three times more boys than girls.
The data so far converge on the view that the evolution of autism could be explained as a combination of a genetic predisposition and a harmful external factor in early infancy. The 25 autistic adults tested in the Netherlands all had mental retardation. A complete medical examination was performed, which included tests on the eyes, ears and neck, an encephalogram, a study of metabolic abnormalities and a complete genetic analysis. Clear and specific causes for autism were found in 5 of the patients.
These included fetal syndrome due to maternal alcohol consumption, postpartum abnormalities, cholesterol problems and genetic deficiencies. Possible causes were also found in 4 other patients. In one of them, the characteristics of damage caused by an external factor were identified, although the mother denied having used harmful drugs, alcohol or drugs during her pregnancy. Researchers from the Department of Pediatrics at Emma Children’s Hospital in Amsterdam believe that further research is needed to focus on the genetic factors involved in the development of autism, while unequivocal evidence requires studies in large families.
The head of the research, Dr. Clara van Karnebek, considers that the findings of the research are important because they concern a large percentage of the examined patients – one in three. However, experts in the UK claim that the findings of the aforementioned research can not be generalized to the entire autistic population because they are concentrated in a small sample of seriously ill autistic adults. David Potter, of the National Autistics Society, said better information about the causes of autism could lead to better treatment, and better counseling for parents about potential risks to their children. He added that the study in the Netherlands was small and selective and that it did not provide important new data for all autistic people.
Of course, another view was expressed by Dr Anthony Bailey, a scientist at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, who said that most researchers estimate that a clear cause for autism can be found in only 10% of cases, and that this study probably refers to a larger percentage since it refers to a specific group of patients.
The above research has been published in the scientific journal Journal of Medical Genetics.
SOURCE: www.sciencenews.gr
