There are characteristic chemical compounds in the urine of children with autism, the determination of which would facilitate early diagnosis of the condition, reports New Scientist.
Jeremy Nicholson of Imperial College, London, examined the urine of 39 children with autism, 28 of their healthy siblings and 34 unrelated peers. Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, he showed that the results were different and distinctive for each of the three groups, with the urine of the autistic children being markedly different from that of the healthy, unrelated children. The scientist attributed these differences to the different bacteria found in autistic children. Among other things, they secrete N-methyl-nicotinamide (NMND), which probably disrupts brain development.
The discovery may support the hypothesis that substances secreted by bacteria present in the intestine may contribute to the disease, which is often accompanied by metabolic disorders, symptoms such as abdominal pain or diarrhoea and changes in the faecal flora.
Meanwhile, Derrick Mc Fabre of the University of Western Ontario in Canada has discovered that short-chain fatty acids produced by clostridium bacteria can cause reversible, autism-like changes in behaviour and brain biochemistry in rats.
Confirmation of the results of the Canadian and British studies will require further work – perhaps through urine tests it will be possible to detect autism earlier than before (now it is possible at the age of 2-3 years). The earlier the diagnosis, the – also in the case of autism – the more effective the treatment. (PAP)
Source
- https://www.medonet.pl/zdrowie/wiadomosci,badanie-moczu-moze-wykryc-autyzm,artykul,1614534.html
