title: The link between gastroenterology and autism.
abstract: References in the popular literature and media support a theory that gastrointestinal pathology may relate to autism. Parents often report their children as having gastrointestinal symptoms that surfaced about the same time autistic symptoms also appeared. The scope and range of information concerning autism available to the public is very extensive. Parents with children having autism are seen in gastroenterology and may request information related to the publicized connection between gastroenterology and autism. It is important for healthcare providers to be able to answer these questions based on the most recent research. The purpose of this article is to review an example of the current literature available to parents on this subject and compare this literature to relevant medical research.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. goldberg@email.chop.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Goldberg
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018847:Opioid Peptides