Autism is a heart-breaking, neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by problems with social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted interests and behaviors. The cause is unknown; and it seems to be increasing in frequency. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 of every 110 children in the US is affected with this disorder.
A study published in the May issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine attempted to find a cause. Researchers analyzed birth records for the 1.4 million children born in Denmark between 1980 and 2002, and found 7,400 cases of diagnosed autism. They searched for any connection between autism and infant bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, respiratory illnesses, herpes virus, and urinary tract infections. They could find no relation in any of these cases.
They did find a link between autism and hospitalization for maternal viral infection, such as influenza, in the first trimester of pregnancy. (This finding is another reason for pregnant mothers to get the flu shot.) Children whose mothers had a viral infection requiring hospitalization during the first trimester had nearly three times the risk of a later autism diagnosis. They also found an association with maternal hospitalization in the second trimester with a bacterial infection and infant autism. This part of the study was published online April 23, in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders by the same group of researchers.
At one time some parents of kids with autism believed MMR vaccine was the cause. This was based on a study of fewer than a dozen autistic kids in England. Since then many studies of hundreds of autistic kids and millions of MMR shots showed there was absolutely no connection. Unfortunate some parents still mistakenly think MMR causes autism and refuse to have their kids immunized. This poor decision has been responsible for outbreaks of Measles in this country – some with serious side effects.
Make sure you take advantage of modern medical miracles and have your kids get their MMR vaccine, the annual flu shot, and all the other vaccines your pediatrician prescribes. For a list of all those recommended go to www.aap.org, or wait until August and get a copy of my book Messengers in Denim.