A small study revealed that children suffering from autism
spectrum disorders (ASD) may show improvements in behavior when they have a
fever.
This is the first time to investigate a connection between fever and behavior change in children with autism spectrum disorders, the researchers said.
"I think this study means there is hope, because it means that the
basic networks in the brain in autism appear to be intact," said senior investigator
Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, a pediatric neurologist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute
in
According to researchers, fever seems to restore nerve cell communications in regions of the autistic brain, restoring a child’s ability to interact and socialize during the fever. However, experts cannot say for sure what really happens.
"The first thing we would suspect would be substances that circulate in
the blood when we have a fever, called cytokines. It's also possible that cell
membranes or cell receptors function differently when they are hotter. Networks
in the brain may function differently, or the energy metabolism in cells in the
brain may change in autism," said Martha Herbert, an assistant professor
in neurology at the
If researchers establish in what way exactly the fever improves conditions, they may be able to develop drugs that could act in the same way. Unfortunately, this is a goal very hard to achieve, yet not impossible.
The study was based on the observation of 30 children with
autism aged 2 to 18, during and after of at least 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The
results of the study were surprising, with more than 80 percent of those with
fever showing some improvements in behavior during the fever, while 30 percent had
significant improvements. Longer concentration spans, more talking, improved
eye contact and better overall relations with adults and other children numbered
between the improvements.
People with autism spectrum disorders suffer from limited
social interactions, lack of verbal and non-verbal communication and other
abilities.
According to the ASA, almost 1.5 million Americans suffer from some form of autism. Health specialists do not know what the cause of this condition is.
Zimmerman said that although there is no definite medical
treatment for this condition, patients could make improvement through language
and speech therapy started as soon as possible after diagnosis.
The researchers said that the findings of this study would
be the base for next research on children suffering from autism. The study is
the more important as it looked to biological and not merely genetic causes of
autism, said ASA.
"This is a very important study for its small size, because it shows that severity of some things can change. And it means that something biological that comes with fever is related to this change. This study has produced some very valuable clues to the autism puzzle," said Herbert.
However, parents should not see this study as a way to induce fever in their children just to help them improve their condition. "This [study] doesn't mean that children should have more fevers. But it does mean that something about fevers relates to something that influences the autism, and this is a significant clue about how autism may work," Herbert said.
The study was published in Monday’s issue of the journal Pediatrics