title: Serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: Vitamin D may play an important role in the etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Vitamin D is regarded as a neuroactive steroid affecting brain development and function. It plays an essential role in myelination, which is important for connectivity in the brain. Studies have shown that decreased vitamin D levels in patients, decreased maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy, and decreased exposure to solar UVB might increase the risk for ASD. In addition, autism symptoms and global functioning may improve after vitamin D supplementation. Here, we sought to aggregate information from previous publications on vitamin D levels and ASD, in order to achieve a higher statistical power and thereby to determine the validity of vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for ASD. For this meta-analysis, 11 studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, accounting for a total of 870 ASD patients and 782 healthy controls. Levels of serum 25(OH) D in participants with ASD were significantly lower than controls, suggesting that lower vitamin D level might be a risk factor for ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, The First Hospital of Jilin University, No. 71, Xinmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130021, China.
authors.forename: Tiantian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, The First Hospital of Jilin University, No. 71, Xinmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130021, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, The First Hospital of Jilin University, No. 71, Xinmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130021, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, The First Hospital of Jilin University, No. 71, Xinmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130021, China.
authors.forename: Junyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Zhida
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Donders Centre for Neuroscience, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre Karakter, Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Reinier Postlaan 12, 6525 GC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wouter G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Staal
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, The First Hospital of Jilin University, No. 71, Xinmin Street, Changchun, Jilin, 130021, China. erkekangfujia@163.com.|Institute of Pediatrics of First Hospital of Jilin University Changchun, Changchun, 130021, China. erkekangfujia@163.com.|Neurological Research Center of First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China. erkekangfujia@163.com.
authors.forename: Feiyong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D001921:Brain; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D
keywords: Autism spectrum disorders; Meta-analysis; Review; Vitamin D