Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Recruiting
Administrative data
| NCT number |
NCT04890717 |
| Other study ID # |
Mic_ASDADHD |
| Secondary ID |
|
| Status |
Recruiting |
| Phase |
|
| First received |
|
| Last updated |
|
| Start date |
May 15, 2021 |
| Est. completion date |
December 31, 2024 |
Study information
| Verified date |
February 2023 |
| Source |
Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| Contact |
Terence Yeung, Bsc |
| Phone |
26373225 |
| Email |
wanchunyeung[@]cuhk.edu.hk |
| Is FDA regulated |
No |
| Health authority |
|
| Study type |
Observational
|
Clinical Trial Summary
Autism (ASD) is one of the frequent neurodevelopmental disorders that children would occur.
Many studies have shown that individuals with Autism are more common to experience
significant gastrointestinal problems than other individuals. Symptoms include constipation,
diarrhea, abdominal pain and gastric reflux. A recent study with 50 children with ASD, 50
children with other developmental disabilities and 50 healthy control children, it found that
70% of ASD children had presented with GI symptoms, compared with 42% of developmental
disabilities children and 28% of developing children, it is believed that ASD children will
have a distinctive microbial pattern in the stool.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is another neurodevelopmental and
neurobehavioral disorder. A study found that ADHD individuals experience significantly higher
rate of stomach pain and bowel problems than other control individuals. It is suggested that
the microbiota in the stool of ADHD children might be different. Genetic study also found
that if a child has a sibling with ADHD, the risk of developing ADHD is three to four times
higher than that of children with siblings without ADHD.
Description:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was first developed by Kanner in 1943. In Hong Kong, a study
showed that as many as 49 out of 10,000 children were diagnosed in Autism. ASD is one of the
frequent neurodevelopmental disorders that children would occur. Many studies have shown that
individuals with Autism are more common to experience significant gastrointestinal problems
than other individuals. Symptoms include constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and gastric
reflux. In a study with 160 children with ASD, 59% had GI symptoms, including diarrhoea,
unformed stool, constipation, bloating and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). A study compared
51 ASD children, and 40 healthy control children found that 63% of ASD children had moderate
or severe diarrhoea and constipation symptoms. In contrast, only 2% of control children had
such experience. Similarly, a study of 150 children, with 50 children with ASD, 50 children
with other developmental disabilities and 50 healthy control children, it found that 70% of
ASD children had presented with GI symptoms, compared with 42% of developmental disabilities
children and 28% of developing children. Other study stated that such untreated GI symptoms
might worsen the behavioural issue of ASD children. As there is a strong relationship between
ASD children and GI symptoms, it is believed that ASD children will have a distinctive
microbial pattern in the stool.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is another neurodevelopmental and
neurobehavioral disorder. In Hong Kong, there were 8.9% of ADHD children among Primary one
Chinese schoolboys. A large study (N=6483) found that ADHD individuals experience a
significantly higher rate of stomach pain and bowel problems than other control individuals.
McKeown did another study also reported that ADHD children were more likely to experience
constipation and stool incontinence than normal healthy children. In one study that compared
the Gastrointestinal Severity Index scoring between children with ADHD and healthy subjects,
children with ADHD had significantly higher mean and scored higher in constipation, diarrhoea
and flatulence variables. As the findings of ADHD individuals and gastrointestinal symptoms
are closely associated, the microbiota in the stool might be different from normal children
without ADHD.
Accumulating evidence implicated gut microbiota play a role in autism spectrum disorder
(ASD). A huge community of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract impacts the
development and function of the immune, metabolic, and nervous systems via the gut-brain
axis. Majority of studies shown the diversity of gut microbiota changed in children with ASD
compared with that of typically developing (TD) children, suggesting that the overall
microbiota composition altered in ASD. Differences were observed between ASD and TD when
comparing the abundance of bacteria in phyla and species level. Potential faecal bacteria
biomarkers in the stool of children with ASD will be a useful non-invasive tool for early
detection that will benefit more children with suspected conditions.
The microbiota was involved in many aspects of behaviour was confirmed in animal studies and
human trial but it remains unclear whether gut microbiota recover in children with ASD after
the intervention. Genetic research has revealed that if a child has a sibling with ADHD, the
risk of developing ADHD is three to four times higher than that of children with siblings
without ADHD.
Besides, previous studies showed that maternal unhealthy diet, tobacco use, and the harmful
use of alcohol during pregnancy induce a shift in microbial ecology that negatively impacts
offspring social behavior and has a fundamental role in the etiopathogenesis of ASD and ADHD.
In some cases, children who have experienced stress, emotional abuse and violence are more
prone to ADHD behaviour.
