Analysis of Whole Blood and Urine Trace Elements in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Autistic Behaviors

Abstract

The relationship between trace elements and neurological development is an emerging research focus. We performed a case–control study to explore (1) the differences of 13 trace elements chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), cadmium (Cd), stannum (Sn), stibium (Sb), mercury (Hg), titanium (TI), and plumbum (Pb) concentration in whole blood and urine between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children and their typical development peers, and (2) the association between the 13 trace elements and core behaviors of ASD. Thirty ASD subjects (cases) and 30 age-sex-matched healthy subjects from Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, were recruited. Element analysis was carried out by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Autistic behaviors were assessed using Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), and Children Neuropsychological and Behavior Scale (CNBS). The whole blood concentrations of Mo (p = 0.004), Cd (0.007), Sn (p = 0.003), and Pb (p = 0.037) were significantly higher in the ASD cases than in the controls. Moreover, Se (0.393), Hg (0.408), and Mn (− 0.373) concentrations were significantly correlated between whole blood and urine levels in ASD case subjects. There were significant correlations between whole blood Sb (0.406), Tl (0.365), Mo (− 0.4237), Mn (− 0.389), Zn (0.476), and Se (0.375) levels and core behaviors of ASD. Although the mechanism of trace element imbalance in ASD is unclear, these data demonstrate that core behaviors of ASD may be affected by certain trace elements. Further studies are recommended for exploring the mechanism of element imbalance and providing corresponding clinical treatment measures.

Evaluation of School-Age Children’s Intelligence Quotient and Their Chronic Exposure to Trace Elements in Ambient Air

“…A potential cohort study examining sex-specific associations of neonatal and childhood exposure to eight trace elements with the cognitive abilities of 296 school-age children reported similar results [24]. Multiple studies have indicated that elevated levels of Pb in the blood can impact the intelligence of children [8,25,26]. In multiple metal linear regression models, the negative correlation between urinary lead and children's intelligence was found to be non-significant in studies in Spain (urinary Pb median = 1.04 µg/L) [27] and Italy (urinary Pb median = 1.17 µg/L) [8,28].…”

Analysis of salivary steroid hormones in boys with autism spectrum disorder

“…The CBCL scale is a short, standardized questionnaire which was designed to identify social, behavioral, and emotional problems in children with ASD [ 28 ]. The CBCL scale consists of depression, somatic complaints, social withdrawal, aggression, defiant, compulsive, schizotypal, and poor interaction scores [ 20 ]. The scale was filled by children’s parents for more than half a year until the next by professionals based on the child's performance for almost half a year.…”

“…A total of 57 behavioral traits of children with autism were included. It can be used for people between 2 months and 28 years of age [ 20 ]. Completed by the parents based on the child's performance at the time of the physical examination.…”

“…The child behavior checklist (CBCL) is one of the screening scales for assessing children's emotional and behavioral problems and is widely used to assess, collect, and rate children's internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems [ 18 , 19 ]. The Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) is a 57-item scale commonly used in clinic to characterize the behavior of children aiming to screen and diagnose ASD [ 20 , 21 ]. The social responsiveness scale (SRS) is a rating scale that assesses social, communication, and repetitive behaviors associated with ASD [ 22 ].…”

Autism spectrum disorder: Cadmium and mercury concentrations in different biological samples, a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of human studies

“…Various reports on Cd concentrations in children with ASD are presented. Some documents have reported elevated levels of Cd in children with ASD compared to healthy ones [ [19] , [20] , [21] ], while other studies have shown no significant association between Cd levels and ASD occurrence [ [22] , [23] , [24] ]. Of the numerous literatures that have assessed the associations between Hg exposure and ASD, most studies have shown that Hg could be considered a risk factor for ASD [ 19 , 20 , 25 ].…”