GI disease does not validate Wakefield,nor does it mean there are measles virus present in the gut,any more than it proves any of the other goofball theories I have read about mercury and GI disease in autism.
I am 49 years old.My sister is 40 years old.We are both diagnosed as autistic,and we both have severe lifelong GI disease,as well as chronic lung infections,"idiopathic" arthritis, recurring meningits,and a whole host of other neurodevelopmental disabilities.
The autistic man mentioned at the beginning of this article
probably never had the MMR vaccine either.This article is a must read,and it sort of explains why those of us with both autism,and serious medical problems have not been taken seriously all these years.Note how Dr.Bauman,and the woman from ASAN are pretty much on the same page here.Things are finally turning around,and it is due in large part to the efforts of people like Margaret Bauman,and Tim Buie,not because people have finally woken up to what Wakefield has done.
A lot of the problem lies with the fact most of these parents have not sat down to figure out the family medical history.In a lot of cases,as with our family,you will find GI disease,immune problems,or mitochondrial,or MTHFR related diseases are present,and go back generations.My mother has GI disease as bad or worse than my sister and I do,and she is not autistic.It did not start all of a sudden with vaccines.A triggering of the immune system,that leads to a domino effect,be it a vaccine or an infection in the first 18 months of life,as was the case with us,is not the same as an underlying cause.
What this article says about being seen only as an "autism patient", and only being treated with psychotropics,is something I have fought doctors over for about thirty years.Only after going to an entirely different hospital,has my condition begun to be taken seriously.The doctor I am seeing thinks I may have a cronic infection,possibly TB,which my mother had on an insipient basis begining when she was a child,sort of like Lyme autism.Answers are out there for every family,but you need to keep looking.This is not easy stuff.Vaccines as an answer only offer false security.
Oh,by the way,I also saw a DAN! doctor once who dumped me after two visits,because I had too many medical poblems for him to handle.
This is interesting... I've read so much conflicting data on this issue that my head is spinning. Geraldine Dawson, several years ago, told me that GI issues among kids on the spectrum is at about 19% (much higher than typical), and certainly the MET genetic study suggests the same.
IMO, the question of WHETHER GI symptoms and autism are often associated has been answered with a qualified "yes." The bigger question, relative to "what next," has to be WHY?
Ginger, for Brian Deer to feel guilt, he'd have to have a conscience. And a soul
10:02 AM
... who knew?
And oddest thing of all, this was "discovered" by Autism Speaks and The Autism Treatment Network, which is Kennedy Krieger, which is Johns Hopkins, not exactly friendly factions to biomed really.
So you think that they will pick up the phone and call ARI and apologize for dissing them for a decade or so, and then say sorry to the children who have been suffering while they conferenced and committied and scoffed and vacationed?
[2320.7] GI Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): An Autism Treatment Network Study
Kent Williams, George J. Fuchs, Glenn Furuta, Margaret Marcon, Daniel L. Coury, Autism Treatment Network GI Committee. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AK; University of Colorado at Denver, Denver, CO; Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH.
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of GI symptoms in children and adolescents with ASD is uncertain, with studies reporting conflicting results.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of GI symptoms as reported by parents in a large ASD registry, and to identify factors associated with GI symptoms in children with ASD.
DESIGN/METHODS: Autism Treatment Network Registry enrolled 1420 children, age 2-18 years, with an ADOS-confirmed ASD diagnosis (autism, Asperger disorder, or PDD-NOS) at 15 sites in the US and Canada. Parents completed a GI symptom inventory tailored to the needs of nonverbal children, as well as Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Child Sleep Health Questionnaire (CSHQ) and Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) at time of enrollment.
RESULTS: GI symptom data were available for 1185 children. Overall 45% of children were reported to have GI symptoms at time of enrollment. Of GI complaints that occurred within the 3 months prior to enrollment, abdominal pain was most common (59%) followed by constipation (51%), diarrhea (43%), other (40%), nausea (31%) and bloating (26%). Reports of GI symptoms increased with age, ranging from 39% in those under 5 years to 51% in those 7 years and older (p<0.0001). Children ages 1 to 5 years with GI symptoms had higher CBCL t-scores for total problems and for the emotionally reactive, anxious/depressed, somatic complaints, sleep problems, internalizing problems, affective problems, and anxiety problems subscales, all p<0.05. Children ages 6 to 18 years with GI symptoms had higher CBCL t-scores for total problems and for all subscales (p<0.01). Sleep problems occurred more frequently in children with than those without GI symptoms (70% versus 30%, p<0.0001). Children with GI symptoms had lower PedsQL scores (overall score and all five subscales, p<0.01) compared to children without GI problems. Presence of GI problems did not differ by gender, ASD subtype, race, or IQ.
CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children with ASD report a high prevalence of GI symptoms in their children. This prevalence increases with age. GI complaints are significantly associated with behavioral abnormalities in all age groups. GI symptoms are also significantly associated with sleep disturbances and decreased health-related quality of life. Further definition is needed on the role and potential impact of treatment of GI disorders on behavior, sleep disturbance, and quality of life in children with ASD.
And don't forget to tune into NBC to see Dr. Nancy apologize and BBC America to see the British Medical Establishment express their profound regret to Wakefield et. al and the families they have sabotaged as their children languished in GI distress that they claimed didn't exist.
Brian Deer must feel really awful right now. I can't imagine his guilt.
posted by Ginger Taylor at 10:27 AM on May 7, 2010
"Turns out Autism IS associated with GI disorders"
3 Comments -
GI disease does not validate Wakefield,nor does it mean there are measles virus present in the gut,any more than it proves any of the other goofball theories I have read about mercury and GI disease in autism.
I am 49 years old.My sister is 40 years old.We are both diagnosed as autistic,and we both have severe lifelong GI disease,as well as chronic lung infections,"idiopathic" arthritis, recurring meningits,and a whole host of other neurodevelopmental disabilities.
The autistic man mentioned at the beginning of this article
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/249290/topic/WS_HLM2_MAG/On-the-Spectrum.html
probably never had the MMR vaccine either.This article is a must read,and it sort of explains why those of us with both autism,and serious medical problems have not been taken seriously all these years.Note how Dr.Bauman,and the woman from ASAN are pretty much on the same page here.Things are finally turning around,and it is due in large part to the efforts of people like Margaret Bauman,and Tim Buie,not because people have finally woken up to what Wakefield has done.
A lot of the problem lies with the fact most of these parents have not sat down to figure out the family medical history.In a lot of cases,as with our family,you will find GI disease,immune problems,or mitochondrial,or MTHFR related diseases are present,and go back generations.My mother has GI disease as bad or worse than my sister and I do,and she is not autistic.It did not start all of a sudden with vaccines.A triggering of the immune system,that leads to a domino effect,be it a vaccine or an infection in the first 18 months of life,as was the case with us,is not the same as an underlying cause.
What this article says about being seen only as an "autism patient", and only being treated with psychotropics,is something I have fought doctors over for about thirty years.Only after going to an entirely different hospital,has my condition begun to be taken seriously.The doctor I am seeing thinks I may have a cronic infection,possibly TB,which my mother had on an insipient basis begining when she was a child,sort of like Lyme autism.Answers are out there for every family,but you need to keep looking.This is not easy stuff.Vaccines as an answer only offer false security.
Oh,by the way,I also saw a DAN! doctor once who dumped me after two visits,because I had too many medical poblems for him to handle.
7:06 PM
This is interesting... I've read so much conflicting data on this issue that my head is spinning. Geraldine Dawson, several years ago, told me that GI issues among kids on the spectrum is at about 19% (much higher than typical), and certainly the MET genetic study suggests the same.
IMO, the question of WHETHER GI symptoms and autism are often associated has been answered with a qualified "yes." The bigger question, relative to "what next," has to be WHY?
Lisa Rudy
http://www.lisarudy.com/getoutexplore.htm
9:06 AM
Ginger, for Brian Deer to feel guilt, he'd have to have a conscience. And a soul
10:02 AM