Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Children with Autism and ADHD: Profiles of Hair and Salivary Cortisol, Serum Leptin Concentrations and Externalizing/Internalizing Problems.

Publisher: MDPI Publishing Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101521595 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2072-6643 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20726643 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Nutrients Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Basel, Switzerland : MDPI Publishing

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity*/complications ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity*/metabolism ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity*/psychology ; Autism Spectrum Disorder*/complications ; Autism Spectrum Disorder*/metabolism ; Autism Spectrum Disorder*/psychology ; Gastrointestinal Diseases*/blood ; Gastrointestinal Diseases*/complications ; Gastrointestinal Diseases*/psychology ; Hair*/chemistry ; Hair*/metabolism ; Hydrocortisone*/blood ; Hydrocortisone*/metabolism ; Leptin*/blood ; Leptin*/metabolism ; Saliva*/chemistry ; Saliva*/metabolism; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Biomarkers/blood ; Biomarkers/metabolism

Background: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs) present a higher prevalence in individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs). The Stress System and the Gut-Brain axis (GBA) may mediate these relations. We aimed to assess the prevalence and profile of FGIDs in a clinical sample of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) compared to typically developing children (TD) as well as to investigate possible relations between stress-related biomarkers and internalizing/externalizing problems in children with NDDS.
Methods: In total, 120 children, aged between 4 and 12 years old, formed three groups (N = 40, each): ADHD, ASD and TD. Salivary cortisol, hair cortisol and serum leptin were measured.
Results: The ASD group had more FGID problems than the TD group ( p = 0.001). The ADHD and ASD groups had higher total internalizing/externalizing problems than the TD group ( p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p = 0.005, respectively). Children with FGIDs showed more total, internalizing and externalizing problems compared to children without FGIDs ( p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p = 0.041, respectively). The ADHD group showed lower AUCg values ( p < 0.0001), while the hair cortisol was higher for the TD group ( p < 0.0001).
Conclusion: In conclusion, children with NDDs had more FGID symptoms and present higher internalizing and externalizing problems. Children with ADHD and FGIDs had more internalizing problems compared to those without FGIDs. No differences in stress-related biomarkers were shown to differentiate children with NDDs with and without FGIDs. Future prospective studies including a greater number of children may elucidate the biological pathways linking these comorbidities.

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Keywords: HPA axis; autism; cortisol; functional gastrointestinal disorders; internalizing and externalizing problems; neurodevelopmental disorder

0 (Biomarkers)
WI4X0X7BPJ (Hydrocortisone)
0 (Leptin)

Date Created: 20240525 Date Completed: 20240525 Latest Revision: 20240815

20240815

PMC11124526

10.3390/nu16101538

38794776