Growth hormone and ghrelin status in autistic children

Abstract

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with multifaceted etiology; with the hormonal imbalance playing an important role. Recent evidence suggests that plasma levels of Growth Hormone (GH) and ghrelin are altered in autistic children. Both hormones play a role in mucosal integrity which is crucial in immune tolerance. Ghrelin also modulates neuroinflammatory and apoptotic processes, thus both may have an impact on pathogenesis of autism. Aim To study the GH and ghrelin status in children with ASD and their relation to anthropometry and clinical phenotype. Patients and Methods This is a cross-sectional case-controlled study that included 45 children (30 males and 15 females) diagnosed with ASD compared to 30 age, sex and pubertal stage matched clinically normal controls. Psychometric evaluation including DSM 5, IQ, and CARS were done for the patients, while serum Acyl ghrelin, GH levels and anthropometric measurements were done for both the patients and controls. Results Compared to controls, patients had significantly higher weight and BMI (19.07 ± 4.56 kg versus 23.66 ± 11.44 kg, p 0.004) and (16.20 ± 0.89 kg/m2versus 17.94 ± 4.22 kg/m2, p 0.003) respectively. Ghrelin levels were significantly lower in our cases (7.04 ± 3.95 versus 1.90 ± 0.82, p 0.000) with significant positive correlation to the age. GH levels were also significantly lower in our cases (5.86 ± 2.21 versus 2.99 ± 1.51, p 0.000) with significant negative correlation to their CARS score. Conclusion Children with ASD have lower levels of ghrelin, GH compared to their normal counterparts. These findings support the hypothesis that hormones may modulate pathogenesis of autism, thus may play a key role in diagnosis and treatment response.