Autism Studies and Related Medical Conditions, January 2009 - TACA

autistic children. These differences were significantly more pronounced in the
autistic children bearing the HLA A2 and DR11 alleles. These data support the
hypothesis that autism could be due to an immune imbalance occurring in
genetically predisposed children.
PMID: 14568232 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Fiumara A, Sciotto A, Barone R, D'Asero G, Munda S, Parano E, Pavone L. Peripheral
lymphocyte subsets and other immune aspects in Rett syndrome. Pediatr Neurol. 1999
Sep;21(3):619-21.
Department of Paediatric Neurology, Paediatric Clinic, University of Catania, Italy.
A possible role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of some neurologic
disorders, including infantile autism, was recently postulated. This observation
prompted the authors to investigate some immunologic aspects in a group of
patients with Rett syndrome, a disorder still not completely clarified but with
some points of commonality with infantile autism. Humoral and cell-mediated
immunity were investigated in 20 females with Rett syndrome. Peripheral
lymphocyte subsets revealed a reduced percentage of CD8+ suppressorcytotoxic
cells in all of the patients with Rett syndrome, resulting in an increased
CD4+/CD8+ ratio. In addition, 15 (75%) of the 20 patients had low levels of
natural killer cells. Soluble interleukin-2 receptor was elevated in the youngest
patients. Antineuronal and antimyelin ganglioside antibodies were absent, as
were antinuclear antibodies, antistriated muscle antibodies, and antismooth
muscle antibodies. Immunoglobulin fractions and complement were normal for
age in all of the patients.
PMID: 10513687 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Furlano RI, Anthony A, Day R, Brown A, McGavery L, Thomson MA, Davies SE,
Berelowitz M, Forbes van Gent T, Heijnen CJ, Treffers PD. Autism and the immune
system. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1997 Mar;38(3):337-49.
Gupta S, Aggarwal S, Rashanravan B, Lee T. Th1- and Th2-like cytokines in CD4+ and
CD8+ T cells in autism. J Neuroimmunol. 1998 May 1;85(1):106-9.
Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine 92697-4075, USA.
sgupta@uci.edu
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