Observations on the Relationship between Ghrelin, Leptin and Growth Hormone in Children with Autism
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Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder which are characterized by symptoms such as speech difficulties, repetitive and restricted patterns of behavior, and insufficient social interaction. The purpose of this study is to assess the level of a few physiological indicators and hormonal relationships with ASD in children.
Methods and Materials: In the current study, there were 90 Iraqi children (both male and female), 60 children with ASD who visited Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Iraq (48 males and 12 females), and 30 children controls (20 males and 10 females). They ranged in age from 1.5 to 12 years old. The concentrations of serum levels of growth hormone (GH), ghrelin, and leptin were measured by drawing peripheral venous blood from the children. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was used to evaluate the hormone levels.
Findings: The study’s findings revealed: 1. It was noticed that children with autism have noticeably increased leptin levels in females and males compared to controls. Contrariwise, Children with autism have lower ghrelin levels in females and males than in controls; however, this difference reaches statistical significance (P≤0.05). Similarly, GH levels were significantly lower in children with autism in females and males than in controls.
Conclusion: Children with autism may have much greater amounts of leptin, which could indicate that this hormone plays a key part in the pathophysiology of autism. However, GH and ghrelin levels appeared to be low in children with autism.
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