الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 196 |  |  |
| | | from | 196 | | |
Abstract
Background: A neurological, and developmental disorder called autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is now the most common condition among mental disabilities due to its recent increase in incidence. The serotonin system depends on vitamin A, which plays a crucial role in the nervous system. As a result, children’s neurodevelopment and the emergence of ASD can be significantly impacted by vitamin A deficiency (VAD).
The aim: We aimed in this study to evaluate vitamin A, and serotonin levels in a group of Egyptian ASD patients under the age of 8 years before and after vitamin A supplementation. In addition, we aimed to evaluate their association with ASD symptoms.
Material and methods: The first part of this two-stage study is a controlled cross-sectional analysis, and the second stage is an interventional analysis that includes a clinical trial and an open-label design. Children Between the ages of 1 year and 8 years, with ASD diagnosis according to (DSM-V) criteria were included, as well as healthy controls.
Results: We included 30 ASD children and 30 normal children in the control group with a mean age and SD of 5.33±1.7 years. We observed that 33.3% of ASD patients had a family history of similar cases. According to Childhood Autism Rating Scale of the patients at baseline, 73.3% had mild to moderate ASD symptoms, while 26.7% had severe symptoms. Moreover, we observed a statistical decrease of Vitamin A level in the study group compared to the control group with a mean of 133.85 mmol/L, and 207.43 mmol/L, respectively. ASD patients with low vitamin A level had a mean and SD of 51.27±25 mmol/L. This was increased significantly after vitamin A supplementation to be 81.18±21.652 mmol/L with P Value = 0.04. Furthermore, serotonin level before supplementation in ASD patients was with a mean value of 590.59±163.32 ng/ml. This level was decreased Significantly after vitamin A supplementation to be with a mean value of 496.5±192.12 ng/ml with P Value = 0.015. Furthermore, we found no statistically significant correlation between vitamin A and serotonin levels with different patients’ demographics, or anthropometric measures.
Conclusion and implications: ASD children exhibited lower levels of vitamin A than normal children, even though vitamin A deficiency is common in Egypt. Children with ASD who had low serum vitamin A levels received vitamin A supplements, which not only helped lower the children’s serotonin levels but also markedly reduced their autistic symptoms.