Hyperbaric treatment for children with autism: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Several uncontrolled studies of hyperbaric treatment in children with autism have reported clinical improvements; however, this treatment has not been evaluated to date with a controlled study. We performed a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial to assess the efficacy of hyperbaric treatment in children with autism.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Autism: An Evidence-Based Approach to Negotiating Safe and Efficacious Interventions with Families

“…They then published two case series suggesting improvement in ASD symptoms with HBO 2 T. 105,106 The only controlled trial of HBO 2 T in ASD was reported by the same team in 2009. 107 This was a multisite, randomized, double-blind trial of 62 well-characterized young children with ASD. Children were randomized to receive 40 onehour sessions over a 4-week period of either active treatment (24% oxygen at 1.3 atmospheres absolute [ATA]) or control treatment (21% oxygen at 1.03 ATA).…”

“…The authors reported that children in the treatment group had significant improvements in overall functioning, receptive language, social interaction, eye contact, and sensory and cognitive awareness, compared with children who received slightly pressurized room air. 107 In response to this controversial report, the UHMS 108 published a position paper in 2009 outlining concerns of ascertainment bias, loss of data, author conflict of interest, and most fundamentally a concern that the very low oxygen and pressures used in the so-called treatment (24% O 2 and 1.3 ATA) do not actually constitute HBO 2 T. This position paper refutes the findings of the Rossignol team's 2009 RCT report, 107 stating that the purported positive findings were invalid interpretations of the data and that in fact, no significant differences were demonstrated between the control and treatment arms. The UHMS position paper goes on to point out that "one does not require a [hyperbaric] chamber to deliver this dose."…”

Improving the Prediction of Response to Therapy in Autism

“…We are not aware of any studies that have examined changes in markers of oxidative stress in children with ASD undergoing HBOT. Two previous small, randomized, controlled trials of HBOT have been conducted in children with ASD, with one reporting improvements in overall symptoms (30% of children improved on the CGI-Improvement score in the HBOT group versus 8% in the placebo group), 52 and the other trial resulted in a finding of no effect. 53 Because one of the main postulated mechanisms for HBOT improving symptoms of autism is an anti-inflammatory effect, we conducted an open-label clinical trial in 10 children between the ages of 3 and 8 with ASD to determine if there were observable changes in detailed markers of inflammation after treatment.…”

Hyperbaric Air Therapy in Dogs for Clinical Veterinary Medicine: A Basic Study

“…HBA in humans has already been applied in settings related to health, beauty, and sports. In medical settings, it has been used to treat disorders such as autism [2,[16][17][18], and cerebral palsy [4]. Therefore, we hypothesized that HBA would be more appropriate than HBO for use with small animals, although such application has not been reported to our knowledge.…”

“…However, this protocol has been based on past experience rather than scientific experimentation, because few studies of HBA in humans have been reported [2,4,[16][17][18]. Thus, we sought to assess the safety of HBA and determine a protocol for it in dogs.…”