title: Autoimmune and gastrointestinal dysfunctions: does a subset of children with autism reveal a broader connection?
abstract: A large number of autoimmune disorders have a gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction component that may interplay with genetic, hormonal, environmental and/or stress factors. This narrarive review investigates possible links between autism, immune system abnormalities and GI symptoms in a subgroup of children with autism. A literature search on Medline (1950 to September 2010) was conducted to identify relevant articles by using the keywords 'autism and gastrointestinal' (71 publications) and 'autism and immune' (237 publications), cross-referencing and general searching to evaluate the available literature on the immunological and GI aspects of autism. Sufficient evidence exists to support that a subgroup of children with autism may suffer from concomitant immune-related GI symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Complementary & Alternative Medicine, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 651 Ilalo Street, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA. amybrown@hawaii.edu
authors.forename: Amy C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Lewis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mehl-Madrona
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies