Abnormal intestinal permeability in children with autism

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How do such differing results arise?

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1: *Intestinal Permeability and Glucagon-like peptide-2 in Children with

Autism: A Controlled Pilot Study*

on MA, Sigalet DL, Holst JJ, Meddings JB, Wood J, Sharkey KA.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

marli.robertson@...

J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 Feb 29 [Epub ahead of print]

We measured small intestinal permeability using a lactulose:mannitol

sugar permeability test in a group of children with autism, with current

or previous gastrointestinal complaints. Secondly, we examined whether

children with autism had an abnormal glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2)

response to feeding. Results were compared with sibling controls and

children without developmental disabilities. We enrolled 14 children

with autism, 7 developmentally normal siblings of these children and 8

healthy, developmentally normal, unrelated children. Our study did not

detect differences in these measures of gastrointestinal function in a

group of children with autism.

PMID: 18311517

2: *Abnormal intestinal permeability in children with autism*

D'Eufemia P et al.

Acta Paediatr. 1996 Sep;85(9):1076-9.

*

*We determined the occurrence of gut mucosal damage using the intestinal

permeability test in 21 autistic children who had no clinical and

laboratory findings consistent with known intestinal disorders. An

altered intestinal permeability was found in 9 of the 21 (43%) autistic

patients, but in none of the 40 controls. Compared to the controls,

these nine patients showed a similar mean mannitol recovery, but a

significantly higher mean lactulose recovery (1.64% +/- 1.43 vs 0.38%

+/- 0.14; P < 0.001). We speculate that an altered intestinal

permeability could represent a possible mechanism for the increased

passage through the gut mucosa of peptides derived from foods with

subsequent behavioural abnormalities.

PMID: 8888921

3: *Intestinal pathophysiology in autism*

White JF.

Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2003 Jun;228(6):639-49.

http://www.ebmonline.org/cgi/content/full/228/6/639

[Much discussion of permeability in autism]

Autism is a life-long developmental disorder affecting as many as 1 in

500 children. The causes for this profound disorder are largely unknown.

Recent research has uncovered pathology in the gastrointestinal tract of

autistic children. The pathology, reported to extend from the esophagus

to the colon, is described here along with other studies pointing to a

connection between diet and the severity of symptoms expressed in

autism. The evidence that there is impaired intestinal permeability in

autism is reviewed, and various theories are discussed by which a leaky

gut could develop. Lastly, some possible ways in which impaired

gastrointestinal function might influence brain function are discussed.

PMID: 12773694