Kids With Autism Are More Likely To Have Gastrointestinal Problems

By: Rachael Rettner Published: 03/30/2015 02:00 PM EDT on LiveScience Children with autism may be more likely to have gastrointestinal problems early in life, compared with children who don't have the condition, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed information from children in Norway whose mothers had answered questions about their child's health during infancy and early childhood. The study included 195 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); 4,636 children who had other types of developmental delays; and more than 40,000 children with typical development (who did not have autism). Many of the children with autism had been diagnosed after their mothers completed the study survey. The mothers' reports showed that children with autism had higher odds of experiencing symptoms such as constipation, food intolerance and food allergies at ages 6 to 18 months than the typically developing children did. (Food intolerance is a condition that can be similar to food allergies but is usually less severe.) At ages 18 months to 3 years, the children with autism were more likely than typically developing children to have diarrhea, in addition to constipation and food allergies or intolerance, the study also found. Children with autism were also more than twice as likely to have at least one gastrointestinal symptom during both of these age ranges, compared to children with other developmental delays or typical development, the study found. [Beyond Vaccines: 5 Things Tha...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news