Multiple doses of secretin in the treatment of autism: a controlled study

Abstract

In this placebo-controlled study, multiple doses of secretin did not produce any symptomatic improvement.

Gastrointestinal Factors in Autistic Disorder: A Critical Review

“…No differences between the groups were observed, even when results were compared between subgroups that included only children with diarrhea or a history of regression. A much smaller study done with six children in a crossover design used three doses of secretin (Sponheim et al, 2002). Again, this study found no significant differences between secretin and placebo.…”

“…To the authors' knowledge, nine double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of single-dose secretin (Carey et al, 2002;Coniglio, Lewis, Lang, & Burns, 2001;Corbett, Khan, Czapansky-Beilman, & Brady, 2001;Dunn-Geier, Ho, Auersperg, & Coyle, 2000;Kern, Miller, Evans, & Trivedi, 2002;Malloy et al, 2002;Owley et al, 2001;Sandler et al, 1999;Unis et al, 2002), two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with multiple secretin doses (Roberts, Weaver, Brian, & Bryson, 2001;Sponheim, Oftedal, & Helverschou, 2002), two open-label single-dose trials (Chez, Buchanan, & Bagan, 2000; and one study of the impact of secretin on sleep in autistic children have been completed (Honomichl, Goodlin-Jones, Burnham, Hansen, & Anders, 2002). The two open-label trials, combined, included 44 autistic children and 34 children with PDD not otherwise specified (Chez et al, 2000;.…”

Secretin as a Treatment for Autism: A Review of the Evidence

“…As previously noted, in order to eliminate carry-over effects of the drug, a washout period is recommended to allow effects to dissipate. However, this period varied from 6 weeks between injections and 3 weeks between testing periods (Roberts et al, 2001) to 4 weeks between injections and weekly testing (Sponheim et al, 2002) to hours between drug administration and weekly testing (Robinson, 2001). If carry-over effects are present, and depending upon treatment order (secretin vs. placebo), results may be positively or negatively skewed.…”

“…Nevertheless, it should be noted that the study's outcome is similar (i.e., no identifiable secretin effect) to most of the other studies reviewed in this article. Sponheim, Oftedal, and Helverschou (2002) also investigated the effects of repeated doses of secretin. In this randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled crossover design, six children received three injections of secretin and three of placebo, randomized, every 4 weeks for a total of six injections.…”

In children with autism, is intravenous secretin more effective than placebo in improving social skills, communication, behaviour or global functioning?

“…Many of the studies highlighted different dimensions to the question and addressed previous criticisms: nine studies used porcine secretin (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(11)(12)(13)15), five examined the human synthetic form (2,8,9,14,15), nine studies used cross-over designs (3,5,(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)14,15), and multiple doses were given in two studies (12,14). Several studies examined possible subgroup responders; patients with gastrointestinal symptoms (5)(6)(7)9,12,15), different degrees of autism severity (7,8,12,13,15), and those for whom other medical therapies were allowed (3,6,8,(10)(11)(12) or excluded (15).…”